The Last Fire
by Igor0031
Summary: When the Uchiha planned their betrayal they didn't expect to be discovered, but certainly they didn't expect to be betrayed themselves. When Naruto Uzumaki finally managed to obtain his genin rank he didn't expect to be the witness of a Coup. When Sarutobi Hiruzen thought of his last order to his men he certainly didn't thought about order Omega. Who knows what will happen next?
1. Chapter 1: The Betrayal

_**The Last Fire**_

_**Chapter 1: The Betrayal**_

Danzo was walking through the Uchiha compound, looking around and seeing the traitorous ninjas that were going to overthrow his home. Fools, fools all of them.

But the greatest fool of all was the Sandaime Hokage, the Professor, the God of Shinobi, the man so engrossed with the enemy in this compound to not notice the enemy within his most trusted advisors. He was so ready to believe in his old friend Danzo! Why he, the man who had saved his life countless times during two Shinobi Wars, the man who had been saved by him at least as many times, betray him in such a dishonourable way?

Because they were ninja, he was the dark root working for the greater good of Konoha and the Hokage was a liability towards the village's glory. Danzo was walking in his old friend most obvious shortcoming. A great clan, five hundred sixty three members, one hundred and four too old or too young to matter, two hundred and seventy nine active shinobi of the police force, twenty ANBU, four in the T&I squad, the rest was made by housewives, merchants and everyone who had failed to activate his or her sharingan, all traitors, all of them.

Hiruzen kept on refusing to kill them. It was during one of the endless discussions the Council was having on the matter that Danzo understood: "Why kill them when I could use them?"

Five hundred sixty three traitorous pawns in his hands.

It had been easy to convince Hiruzen to leave the discussion to him. He was walking towards the Nawako Shrine, where the elders and the clan head had their silly little reunions, to sign a peace treaty. A peace treaty in his own village! Two of the most famous member of the clan, Shishui and Itachi Uchiha, were his escort.

"Shishui and Itachi, what an honour. How are you enjoying the Anbu Itachi-san?"

"I'm not an Anbu, honourable councilman. You are mistaken."

"Hush, I am also the Anbu commander, I know my soldiers, Itachi."

Itachi Uchiha didn't seem even startled; he kept on looking him right in his eyes and said:

"I didn't know that, however I'm not an Anbu."

"Just the answer of the Code, always in the shadow. Lie to your friends, your village, your superiors, yourself. Without the mask you are nothing, keep your animalist face hidden to bite your enemies harder. However, Itachi-san… I'm not your enemy, my only enemies are the ones of Konoha. Always remember that. Ah, we have arrived. Excuse me."

Danzo entered in the shrine.

"What was that?", Shishui asked his best friend.

"It was a threat, Shishui."

The shrine was full of incense's smoke and the smell of green tea, in front of him the three elders of the clan were sitting on comfortable looking cushions. Uchiha Fugaku was on a side on the room in a martial like stand, immobile when the three elders were drinking tea and savouring biscuits.

No one reacted to his entrance, as they had now settled down the pace of this meeting with this blatant show of disrespect Danzo decided to give them the scare of their lives. He moved, faster than Fugaku could possibly react, and hold a kunai to one of the elders' neck.

"What's this? Why do you threaten me? The Hokage will hear of this…"

"We know, Uchiha. We have known since your little silly scheme started, and if this continues you will all die. The pity of the Hokage is what has kept you safe for now, that pity is wearing thin."

He then let the elder be and seated down in front of them. Now that he had their attention he explained them how and why their plan will fail, why they couldn't hope to survive their coup. The Uchiha were powerful, but the Hokage had at least ten shinobi that could take the Uchiha best with ease. The sharingan will count nothing against the speed of Might Guy or the superior ability of Hatake Kakashi; the perfect cooperation of the Ino-Shika-Cho would destroy them like had done with countless Iwa forces during the war. If the Yondaime was alive he could have wiped out the all of them within five minutes.

Hiruzen himself was more in strength, speed and every single aspect of the shinobi life than any ninja in the clan since Madara Uchiha, a Madara Uchiha that certainly wasn't fighting with them.

"And, even if you kill all the ninja against you, how you hope to rule a village that will hate you? How to control the children that had lost fathers and mothers to your thirst for power? They will grow strong and kill you to get revenge."

In this moment Danzo changed history, against everything the Nidaime had passed on him he chose to betray a comrade and his Hokage. But that was for the greater glory of Konoha.

"But you are right."

The Uchiha elders stopped to tremble for their life and focused once more on the man in front of them, maybe there was still hope.

"The village is growing weak! Kumo amasses forces, they are getting clients and they are becoming more powerful every single day. We will end like Iwa, forced to use mercenaries just to survive… The Hokage and his dream of peace are destroying us. And you Uchiha elders, even if only concerned about the power of your clan, must understand that."

"We get your point councilman Danzo."

"And you must see the reason in this proposition: overthrow the Hokage."

"You want the coup to happen?"

"Not yours, mine. Your coup is the single most stupid strategic reasoning I've ever seen. It will be complicated, it will be very far in the future, but the Uchiha will be my right hand when I'll be the Hokage."

They looked at each other for a while, muttered some whispers and finally told Danzo:

"We will hear your plan."

"I have some Anbu's under my direct command, I call them Root. My Root will grow in every organisation in Konoha, thievery and murders will be necessary… all things that the Shinobi Police Force could easily cover. When the time will come, we will strike. We will kill every single leader of the departments and, of course, the Hokage; men loyal to me will then take their position. The assassinations will be easily blamed on someone else, maybe on a squad from Iwa."

"How long will it take for this plan to come in action?"

"Five years."

"Five years… it's too long! The Uchiha will not stand the disrespect the Hokage and the village gives us every day…"

-The pride, the Uchiha greatest flaw. A shinobi has no pride, he lives in the shadows, poisons, stabs in the back... pride is for samurais and fools- Danzo thought.

"You act like you have a choice. Join me you survive… Betray me, you die. Now choose."

"We will go to the Hokage, he will know of your treachery."

The elders were frantic, trying to find an escape from this situation, but that was not to be. Danzo had them in his hands, they were just pawns.

"Go then. Who will he believe? You, the planners of a coup d'état, or me, one of his most trusted friends? You have no choice."

The Uchiha accepted, how could they not? It had been so easy to use them!

The great Uchiha, the great Senju, the Uzumaki, all of those clans were dying… After the Nidaime reign the Senju were just a shadow of their former self, the only member a drunkard and a gambler, the Uzumaki had disappeared from everything but the memories of the historians and the Uchiha were soon to be lost in their own games of power.

They were so sure that their past glory was a good enough shield, but the clan was weak. The only shinobi of notice in almost five generations was Itachi, but the village kept on growing. Namikaze and Jiraya, while having too much pity for the enemy, were undoubtedly the best ninja in the generations following Danzo's one and orphans of no fortune. Might Guy was found in a burned down farm by a patrol. Hatake was the name of a disgraced clan. The name of a fighter says nothing on his ability, or his intelligence.

And the intelligence of the Uchiha wasn't much indeed, considering they never suspected a double play from the ruthless commander in front of them.

And now the last hit to their power.

"You will be contacted by one of my men with the first mission, never speak to me again in friendly terms. I hate you because you are traitors; you hate me because I have discovered your scheme, understood? One last thing: nothing of this must reach the ears of Itachi Uchiha."

"Why? Itachi is one of the best in the clan and he will certainly be helpful…"

"Itachi Uchiha is the reason we have known of your coup for so long, he is loyal to the Hokage. You will hear of me soon."

He leaved the room, leaving three crestfallen Uchiha elders and one destroyed father. In a single move Danzo had eliminated the threat of the Uchiha coup, assured to himself five hundreds sixty two pawns to reach his goal and bind the hands of the only one in the whole clan that could have damaged his plan.

* * *

_Five Years Later: the night of the Scroll theft._

"No, of course you're not the Kyuubi Naruto-kun, it is sealed in you. That's it. I must say I'm very proud of how you're taking the news."

"Well it is all thanks to Iruka-sensei, if it wasn't for him…"

The meeting between the two come to an abrupt stop when one Shimura Danzo entered the room. The presence of the jinchuruki in the room startled him, why was him in the Hogake's office at midnight? Well, it wasn't a great loss, he wasn't a capable jinchuruki, not with that seal… The next one will be able to access the fury of the Kyuubi with so much more ease, maybe like that Gaara in the Sand…

"Danzo, what's happening?"

"It's happening that you are going to die old fool. And I will take the mantle of the Hokage! You have let the village grow weak Hiruzen, I had to do something."

A blade of wind hit the chair of the Hokage and the plant that had been used for a Kawarimi.

"How trustful you were in the Old Friend Danzo! Five years for this plan to came to action, five years and you didn't notice a thing! You have grown weaker, Hiruzen."

"Who are you? How dare you attack the Hokage! Do another step and you die! Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

The smoke that followed jutsu was a good enough cover for Hiruzen's next moves. He made two Kage Bunshins of himself and they used Henge to become Naruto while the true Hokage grabbed the original of the boy, easily recognizing him with the tracking seal integrated in the one of the Kyuubi, and slipped away from the front door of his office and then the whole Tower in two Shunshin.

Danzo, surrounded by a myriad of clones and unable to recognize his target inside this mess, was going to use one of his most destructive jutsu when a fireball was aimed right to his eyes. The few seconds of blindness that came after that were enough for a horde of Naruto's clones to try to hit him. They failed, but those secomds were enough for the second Hiruzen's copy to enter the private Hokage's library. In there he could end his mission. The clone reduced his chakra to hide himself and started to work.

Meanwhile outside the tower Hiruzen was running fast, he entered a house by broking its window and was met by a kunai to the neck.

"Hokage-sama!"

If Kakashi was surprised to see his leader panting and with a twelve years old boy shoved on his shoulder like a bag he didn't show it.

"Danzo, a coup. Tried to kill me and Naruto. Take him away and escape… If Danzo became Hokage… I issue order Omega."

Kakashi was focused on the aged leader like no time before. He grabbed his bag, always ready in his closet, a few scrolls and was ready to leave.

"Naruto, stop!" the young ninja, that had been complaining loudly and a lot, pretending to know what was happening, did as was ordered.

"That man, Danzo is planning to kill me and becoming Hokage. Until a new Hokage is elected by the Daimyo you are in danger, after all you were the only witness. If he became Hokage… well, survive. That's a direct order of your supreme commander, understood?"

Naruto, with tears running freely from his eyes, could only look at his grandfather in all but blood and do a fast nod with his head. Between the truth of the Kyuubi coming upon him in such a manner and his most trusted belief, the undying loyalty and faith in the Hokage of all Konoha's ninjas, destroyed by Danzo he was understandably distraught.

"Kakashi here will travel with you, protect you and teach you the way of the ninja if the worst happen."

"And you Old Man?"

"I will cover your escape."

Both Naruto and Kakashi started to antagonize that plan, Naruto with shouts of –you can't die Old Man- and Kakashi with surprisingly well thought strategic reasoning. However touching that was for the old Hokage, despite his obvious faults, blinded by his trust in Danzo he hadn't recognized the signs of the double game after all, he had still proud and strong shinobi loyal to him.

"The ANBU didn't come to my help, Kakashi. I don't know how spread is Danzo's organisation in our village; there are few shinobi we can trust now. My son, his fiancé, Guy, Jiraya and Anko are the only ones I could believe in blindly at this time; maybe the old Ino-Shika-Cho. The others are all probable enemies. Now go."

Kakashi spared one last glance to the old man in front of him, saddened by his soon to be demise, but if the ANBU were against them they hadn't much of a choice right now. After getting Naruto he started to run towards a secret exit from the village Danzo couldn't possibly know about; Minato-sensei made it with some seals like the ones of the Hirashin to have an escape route ready for Kushina if something happened.

Naruto was running alongside him, with tears in his eyes and his features enhanced by the Kyuubi, he seemed feral and beastly like. Kakashi would have actually been a little concerned if his own face didn't have the same show of sadness and anger going on right now.

They arrived at the Fourth Hokage building, a very common like two stores apartment. He took Naruto hand and suddenly cut one of his fingers with a kunai, he let the blood drop in a specific spot in the doormat. A blood seal barrier dislocated from the point in which was acting, the door, on the mat at their feet. Pure genius.

No one had been able to enter the apartment since his death, and they had been trying, to grab any secret move the Yondaime could have left behind. But no one have had the idea of look under the doormat to check. If someone would have done that he would had found the lock blocking the path.

-Minato's rule number 34: don't make anything obvious; always have an ace up your sleeve, Kakashi-chan.-

"Where are we?"

"In my old sensei apartment."

Kakashi answered while he was busy grabbing whatever scroll was on sight, and some that weren't so obviously found, hidden as they were in secret compartments or storage seals. He then put what he had found in a spare storage scroll he had on him just for such an occasion.

"And why are we here WHEN THE OLD MAN IS DYING?"

Naruto screamed with rage, a wave of killing intent washed upon Kakashi, probably from the Kyuubi chakra that was now starting to flow outside Naruto in spares.

"My sensei was the Yondaime Hokage."

This seemed to calm him a little bit. The Yondaime was seen with reference by practically the whole village. Those who didn't love him, respected him… and those who didn't respect him were absolutely terrified of him.

"Danzo will probably kill the Hokage, but it will be only over my dying body that I would let him use my sensei legacy to do so!"

This statement had a lot of meanings, and what Kakashi wanted to protect was a lot more important than some scrolls and techniques, but that was neither the time nor the place for such a matter to be discussed.

It was the first time Naruto noticed that the man, who he until now considered an ice cold killer, was shedding silent tears from his only visible eye and had his own fists trembling with rage.

"My sensei knew a jutsu that allowed him to teleport where a specific seal was. He had a seal in this house that practically used the same principle but could be used by everyone, it was a backup plan."

He grabbed Naruto's shoulder and active a seal hidden under a painting on the wall. In a yellow flash they disappeared. The painting went back to cover only a white wall, nothing despite empty libraries and a trial of blood and tears that abruptly ended marked their passage.

* * *

_Back with the Hogake._

After Naruto and Kakashi had left the apartment Hiruzen Sarutobi allowed himself a few moments to think: Danzo, a man that he considered his friend, was out in the village to kill him. Luckily enough the Naruto's clones had proven a worthy distraction for the old war hawk, at least when guided in battle by Hiruzen own clone.

Despite that the fight was short lived, his clone dispelled just after Naruto and Kakashi had escaped; now how to create a worthy distraction?

The aged Hokage got up with a pain in his back, right now his honour told him that the only way to redeem his shortcomings as the Hokage was to fight till death; he had let Danzo's ROOT spread in the village, he had let his body became weaker, he had let the village grow weaker. He had failed.

To redeem himself Hiruzen Sarutobi decided to die, so that the next generation might live. Maybe by doing so Tobirama-sensei would forgive him.

The Old Man moved fast towards the West Gate of the Village, in the opposite direction in which Kakashi and Naruto had departed; during his mad rush ANBUs tried to get to him. His relief was short lived when they suddenly draw swords and started attacking him with long ranged jutsus.

The area of the chase was engulfed in a wide spread genjutsu, so that the fight didn't wake up anyone. There was practically no ninja in the village, excluding someone incredibly adept in genjutsu like Kurenai, which was able to detect an illusion casted on them while they were sleeping.

After using doton manipulation to make a wall rise from a roof the Hokage annihilated the Anbu with a flaming phoenix. Two of the five ANBU died engulfed by the flames, a third suffered severe burns on one of his legs and couldn't pursue anymore. The remaining two died soon after when a kunai found his way inside their necks.

The West Gate awaited and the Hokage started to run again.

Danzo had felt Hiruzen's chakra gathering for his ninjutsus, so he started running towards the signature. After a while he found the five bodies of his ninjas spread around, luckily one was still alive, if barely. He seemed to have suffered rather severe burns.

"Report."

"Team 23 approached the Hogake to finish him, as was ordered. We tried to subdue him with long range ninjutsu, after casting a spread area genjutsu to avoid confrontation. The target killed four of us, after that he went towards the West Gate."

"Just as planned then."

In the case Danzo couldn't kill the aged leader every gate of the village was covered by a contingent of his men, but luck was on his side that night. The West Gate was covered by the Uchiha. His plan couldn't have gone any smoother.

* * *

_Uchiha Compound_

Uchiha Itachi was looking for his father anywhere in the compound. The man was nowhere to be found, he wouldn't be that stupid, wouldn't he? No, he should have trust in his family. He had never felt as relieved as when the Coup five years ago had ended up in nothing.

He had smiled like a foul for exactly five days, he had laughed around with Sasuke for most of the time. The little guy happy to finally have his loving brother back and not the aloof and distant man he had suddenly became.

His mother had been her usual lovable self, maybe a little more stern but always caring for the family. He remembered that for days she cooked their favourite dishes, humming to herself, showing in that way the support to the decision.

His father had told him that he knew about his role in the discovery of the Coup, that everyone in the Compound knew and that everyone will resent him for that. All that had been told him exactly five days after the Coup had ended up into nothing. His father had told him, in these words: "Maybe you wonder why I haven't told you sooner? The truth is that I needed to compose myself, or I would have tried to snap your neck in two. Leave, Itachi. You are an Uchiha no more."

After that Itachi had almost forgot how to smile.

Only because his mother had cried and begged for weeks he had been able to continue to live in his house. He would have leaved soon after his father had practically eliminated him from his life, but he had decided to endure for the sake of his mother and his little brother.

In the clan everyone had abandoned him, Shishui spat at his feet when he saw him. Akane, his promised fiancée, had taken his tries to prevent a civil war like some sort of personal offence. Go figure.

But he endured, for that was the role of the ninja.

Three things had sustained him until now: the smiles of his mother, the laugh of his brother and a little, too much read book named "The Tales Of The Utterly Gutsy Shinobi". The book had been given to him by the Hogake himself, that enough made it extremely worthy. Sensing his increasing depression the Hokage had given him the little thing, because it was the best description of a ninja, at least according to Sarutobi Hiruzen, the God of Shinobi.

And despite a rather bad prose, some logic mistake, two or three grammatical errors Itachi Uchiha had found his role: to endure. And so he resisted everything the clan throw at him, every insult, every spit, every mockery; he did so because he was trying to defend a dream of peace that they, too stupid to realize, were throwing away for foolish pride.

He ran through the Compound three times before he found his way home. No one was in there; he felt chakra from the Village. They couldn't be so stupid, couldn't they?

He opened the door, and he screamed:

"Mother!"

His high trained senses easily picked the quiet sobbing of his mother in the kitchen. He entered to found a high flustered Sasuke, unable to get what to do. He was patting her on the shoulder rather awkwardly; when he saw his older brother his face lightened. Itachi would know what to do.

"Mother, he did it, didn't he?"

The cries of his mother only intensified, it was true. Another coup, another foolish Civil war. He had been exposed so he wasn't put in the plan. And for once he had let his guard drop. He didn't want to think so little of his family; so he hadn't seen the signs like he did the first time.

His father out the house most of the times, his mother crying herself to sleep every night, the sterner training regime Sasuke had to endure day after day. All things he blamed on himself, on his betrayal of the clan, were caused once again by his father betrayal of the Village.

"Who planned this? It isn't the strategy my father or the Clan Elders would use. It is too well planned, an attack into the night, protected by wide-spread genjutsu, probably. It is not the charging with flames and kunai of the last time. Who planned this?"

His voice grew louder and louder, rage deforming his features like no time before.

Between sobs his mother muttered the whole plan. The support of Danzo, how the Uchiha Police had covered the murder of Anbu operatives and shinobis that had an important function in the Village, how, little by little, every position was covered by Danzo's shinobi.

Years of planning will end tonight, when the Hokage will die and Danzo would get his spot as the Hokage and the Uchiha the rightful position at his right. That was the plan.

She didn't get it, she wasn't crying for the attack but because her husband had gone out with the rest of the men to kill the Hokage! He was crying because the traitorous stupid man would probably end up dead!

"Mother, are you stupid? Have no one tried to find something on the man you were forming an allegiance with! I think not, because if someone would have done it maybe you would understand what character would become your Hokage. Danzo beat his ninja, he manipulates and brainwashes them. Do you know what his the final exam to become Root?"

When his mother signed a no with his head he continued, in a tone of voice that was almost a whisper.

"A Root trainee shares everything with another one. He shares his food, his clothes, his missions, his training and his pain. They became more than brothers, they became one soul in two bodies. When the training ends Danzo puts the two of them in a fight to the death. The one who dies ends with the better terms. Five out of ten of those who win kill themselves, unable to bear the burden. Those who survive devote their all being to Danzo, because Root had become in the years of beatings, psychological tortures and pain the only thing they know. They totally destroy what emotion they have to avoid madness. This is the man you have given Konoha to, mother."

The sobbing started growing louder and louder. Itachi was rapidly thinking about what to do. Staying in the Village was not an option; he didn't want to serve Danzo. Avoiding the Hunter Nins would be extremely easy; he was the one that had taught the half of them, after all. And only over his dying body he will have Sasuke.

"Sasuke.", he addressed his brother, in the tone he assumed while in mission; soft, but able to invoke respect from everyone. "I'm leaving the Village. I don't want to serve a man such as Danzo. If you want you can come with me."

"What about father? And the cousins? The uncles? We can't leave them!"

"They are already dead; they had died when they accepted to participate in this plan. Men such as Danzo don't share power nor they leave proofs behind, every Uchiha that knows about his involvement will be murdered."

"And what about mum? We leave her here? To die?"

"She isn't a ninja, she will leave tracks! She will put every Root on our trial! And don't act like she is the victim here!"

"And what is she, then? That Danzo will kill her!"

Looking at the crying figures of his mother even Itachi saw her as a pitiful being. She was there unable to escape, probably facing her own death. But she had known for five years and didn't give a damn. She didn't give a damn about the people this Coup would make orphans, the bodies that would rotten in the street and the pain their craving for power would cause.

"She has helped in planning a Civil War Sasuke! She will be one of the causes for which Shikamaru Nara, your companion at the Academy, will become an orphan for tomorrow morning! She has covered the murderer of almost hundred Anbus during these five years!"

The argument would have only grown in intensity if it wasn't for Mikoto herself. She urged Sasuke to leave with his brother, to don't let Danzo put his claws on him. She was pleading for him to leave and so Sasuke started to pack.

The last thing Uchiha Mikoto saw were both of his sons hugging her, her youngest telling her "I love you"; her oldest whispering in his ear "I'm sorry". The last thing she heard was their footsteps leaving the house towards the forest and their voices in the wind.

Her youngest told his older brother: "I will always hate you for this Itachi, for leaving her behind."

Her oldest answered: "Despise me. Hate me. I don't care, just listen to me and you will be safe."

The last rational thought she had before drifting away into unconsciousness was that the only thing that this Coup managed to destroy wasn't the Hogake. The only thing that was no more was her family.

* * *

_The West Gate._

They had been fighting for almost thirty minutes now. The bodies of ten of his fellow clansmen were spread in the street. The figure of his brother was spread like a broken puppet. A broken puppet was probably what Gintama resembled the most right now, the bones in his arms and legs destroyed by Enma.

The Hokage was moving so fast to become a blur in the night; his black armour helped him hide in the shadows. If it wasn't for their sharingans they would be already dead. Only Shishui was able to play in an even field with him, his afterimages were surrounding the Hokage and trying to put a debilitating injury on him.

The Hokage wasn't like he was in his prime. That much was obvious to Fugaku, who had served under him during the Third War and had seen what that man was capable of.

He joined the fight of Shishui and the Hokage while signalling the other thirty shinobis there to attack at long range with weapon and jutsu.

A series of fireballs were stopped by a mud wall that was also able to make Shishui loose his footing; Shishui was then sent flying by a very powerful kick to the chest. Now Sarutobi had stopped for a second, while using his staff for support, before became a blur once again.

When the aged man had showed up Fugaku thought it would be easy. He was no longer in his prime. There were fifty Uchiha covering this gate. Now he was bleeding badly from a cut over his right eye, his brother was dying, nine of his other clansmen were dead on the street and ten more were injured and in need of medical attention soon.

His eyes spinning madly he started fighting the Hogake once again. While the time passed the Hogake was starting to become slower and slower, now his hands had become sluggish enough for Fugaku to use the the sharingan to his full power.

Fugaku rapidly ducked under a flaming phoenix, he dodged fast a mud spike that without the sharingan would have pierced his heart, and tried to stab Sarutobi on his right kidney. Enma's hand stopped his attack. The torso of the powerful monkey got out from the staff and sent him back flying.

His sharingan saw however the next few moments clearly. He saw Shishui attack while the Hogake was distracted by a storm of shuriken and kunai, he saw his clansmen use wire to call back the shuriken they had thrown, and he saw Shishui use the metallic impromptu cover to pierce the Hokage in his liver.

And suddenly the night become silent once again.

When Fugaku walked towards the Hokage he felt pride.

The Hokage made a sign to Enma. The monkey disappeared after looking with sadness to his long life companion and friend. The smile on the aged face did nothing to console the monkey. That night Enma swore revenge against Danzo, the Uchiha and probably all Konoha.

The men were to be trusted no more since the best of them had died tonight.

Fugaku advanced with a smirk on his face. Their careful planning had led to this moment. Currently Shikaku Nara was dying at the hands of the Uchiha, Ibiki Morino was being killed by Root. The leading class was dying to be replaced by a handful of trusted ninjas and the Uchiha. A glorious day for the clan.

The Hokage reached for something inside his vest. Everyone jumped back, kunai ready in hand and sharingan flashing in their faces.

"Easy, easy. I just wanted to smoke one last time."

The pipe was prepared with agile movements and light with ease; considering that a dying man was doing that it was an amazing feat. The smoke started to flew in the night.

"Biwako-chan always said that this would have killed me." The Hogake said while pointing to the smoke.

He then looked, almost disinterested, to his bleeding side and continued:

"I guess she was wrong."

He took another breath of smoke, enjoying the red that come out of the pipe at regular intervals.

"How many of your men I have killed?"

"Almost twenty."

"Fifty against one and you lost twenty men."

"For the glory of the clan. For Konoha."

For the first time that night the Hokage looked angry. The face he was showing now was enough for Fugaku to take an instinctive step back; the man had been his supreme leader for almost forty years now.

"Konoha! Don't make me laugh! You know nothing of Konoha, you know nothing of the Will of Fire, and you know nothing of glory or pride. You are a traitor, you have spat on the peace your ancestors had died protecting and you had forced your sons to a life of blood and death!"

A cough of blood stopped the Hokage words. Death was coming closer and closer, he didn't have much time.

"Danzo! I know you are here. This fools don't suspect a thing, you always had a talent in choosing your pawns."

Silently Root operatives started killing the Uchiha. Fugaku couldn't do a thing while his men died, he passed out cold when Danzo chopped him on the back of the neck. The ruthless man looked down to the aged man in front of him.

"How many you have killed, Danzo? Tobirama-sensei would have snapped your neck in two himself before letting you do such a thing."

"For the glory of Konoha, Hiruzen."

"For your power Danzo. I am not one of your ninja to brainwash."

Blood was coming out freely from his mouth and was staining the white vest of the man in front of him. The pipe was discarded in a puddle of blood.

"I am dying, but before I go I want to remember you a teaching of Hashirama-sensei. Live in fear Danzo... because -Where the leaf dance the fire will burn brightly-. The leaf will dance and fire will burn, and you with it."

Looking at the men that had bested him his whole life Danzo couldn't stop the thought that, maybe, even in death Hiruzen had found a way to destroy him.


	2. Chapter 2: The Aftermath

**_Chapter 2:_**

**_The Aftermath_**

_The Dark Root. In the Village. _

Danzo was standing in front of a dead Hiruzen and an unconscious Fugaku. The most difficult part of this five year plan had just begun.

His Roots were carefully preparing the bodies. Every Uchiha was put in a way to simulate a hard and cruel battle, and not the fast assassination that had happened in reality. The man that the Hokage had almost killed earlier, the one with a burned leg, was soon in front of his commander.

Looking up and down to him he saw the sweat covering his hair and the repressed scream in his throat. The fact that he wasn't shouting like a mad man now was a testament of the conditioning Root operatives had to go through. His leg resembled more charcoal than human flesh.

"Codename Takagi. This glorious night had finally ended. Our sacrifices will make the village stronger and the fire will burn brightly all over the world. However it's time for the final sacrifice to be made. Repeat your oath to Root."

Winching in pain, almost collapsing, Takagi was able to tell him the words needed:

"I am the shadow casted by the Fire. My name is nothing and my desires are nothing. The Root that spread under Konoha's tree is what I am. When the Village will need me I would give it my all; like a Root that nourishes his leaves I will nourish Konoha. And when my day comes I will join the roots of the Earth. For my life has the only purpose to make Konoha grow stronger."

"Well said Takagi. For the mission objective to be fulfilled I will need fourteen men to join Takagi in his sacrifice."

Like one single man fifty silent shadows stepped forward. No doubts were advanced; Konoha needed to grow stronger and Danzo lived to make Konoha stronger.

"The man with the highest rate of successful missions steps back. Then the one that scores almost as high as him. Keep on doing that until only fourteen of you remain."

When fourteen between men and women were standing in front of him Danzo issued his orders.

Soon the hands of the Uchiha were swinging swords. Dead men were moving guided by chakra strings. The Roots operative learned this technique for this specific purpose. While no one was able to use them mid battle, like the puppeteers in Suna, it was good enough to set up a scene.

The scene was that a squad of Anbu had joined the Hogake in fighting the Uchiha. Fifteen Anbus had fallen. In the fighting, sadly, the Hokage had been killed; Danzo, leading the Anbu, had only been there in time to see Uchiha Fugaku kill their beloved Hokage.

The scene was now one fitting the most gruesome battles of a war. The blood was covering almost everyone; they were showing wounds and signs of chakra depletion. The three medic-nins in the squad had lost almost all of their chakra healing the wounds their comrades were continually reopening. They were now standing around the Hokage, like they had been tried to heal him without success.

Danzo himself let one of his ninja to put a blade on his body. A long and gory wound, right shoulder to left hip, was now on his chest.

After the set was done Danzo signalled to remove the wide-spread genjutsu that had been kept the nins in Konoha asleep during the confusion of the night.

Thirty seconds after the area was full of ninjas. Predictably the Inuzuka and the Hyuuga were the first to arrive; after the first set of eyes had seen the bloody stained figure of the Hokage a collective crying started. Whispers were everywhere in the crowd.

The Hokage dead, Uchiha and Anbu both killed in the middle of the street.

"The Uchiha!"

"Remember the talk about a Coup five years ago?"

"What happened here?"

"Hokage-sama…"

"Silence!"

Danzo scream was like a thunder in a silent night. Everyone stopped midsentence and started to look to the shadowy figure in front of them. Almost half of the shinobi there didn't even know him; the Anbu-commander position didn't put you on the spotlight, but he was a man that invoked respect.

The old age in the shinobi world meant that you were or amazingly strong or incredibly cunning, in some cases both.

"Thank you. I will tell you what happened tonight. If someone doesn't know me and doesn't think I should be trusted then he should know that I am the Anbu-commander. Formally only some jonin, clan heads and Anbus themselves can know about my role in the village, but after tonight I don't think formalities will be a matter."

Danzo said, smiling sadly towards Hiruzen body. This moment was one of great importance to him. He was a Hokage as much as the guy that cleaned the Hokage's office if the population didn't have a good impression of him.

So he acted like a good friend. He seemed destroyed as much as a man hardened by two World Wars could be.

"Before I recall the event of the night I would like a minute of silence, so that I can reorder my thoughts and we all can honour the Hokage."

The silence engulfed the night once again. Sometimes the back of the crowd kept on whispering, announcing the news to the late ones and demanding silence. When the minute ended Danzo started speaking once again.

"Tonight I went to the Hokage for a briefing. In his office I found evidence of a fight and I started searching for Hiruzen. The Anbu patrols didn't see anything suspicious, I would have known, so it means that the attack was planned on the inside."

He said moving his hand toward the bodies of the Uchiha littering the place.

"Tonight the Uchiha had made a request to the Anbus to let a large force of the Shinobi Military Police roam inside the Village. The document was a normal one, something about a ninja in the village go traitor. The great display of forces was somehow dubious but I dismissed it as nothing since, in a show of amazing bad luck, a traitor DID try to steal the Scrolls of Seals earlier tonight."

A controlled sigh escaped his lips.

"But when I saw the leftovers of the fight in the office everything clicked in my mind. I called the Anbu on patrol tonight and started searching for the Hokage. The Village was on a wide spread genjutsu that must have kept all of you asleep during the fight. The west gate was kept hidden behind a barrier that stopped the Anbu from understanding what was going on. After we went over the barrier…"

Said barrier had been placed and removed by Root operatives ten minutes ago.

"Over the barrier… The Hokage was on the floor, clearly on the verge of dying, and Uchiha Fugaku was there with a bloody sword in his hands. We have fight and killed everyone expect of Fugaku himself, that I have kept alive for questioning. After the Uchiha died the genjutsu must have fallen and you have been able to smell the blood."

Everyone was crying.

Fugaku was taken away by the T&I and the bodies of the Anbus and the Hokage were on their way to the Hospital, to get ready for the funerals. The forty-nines Uchiha left were burned right there.

The crying in the village didn't stop there.

Ten minutes after Yoshino Nara was woken up by a dull thump, like someone falling down. She woke up and, like every single time, she turned to her left side to give his husband a kiss on his forehead. But this time she didn't found a lazy smile and half awoken eyes, she found a deep cut on his throat and red sheets.

The man that had come to give the clan head the news rise from the ground; he embraced her and let her cry on his shoulder.

When Shikamaru entered the room, muttering about troublesome parents the whole way, he found his father stained in red. The first aid lessons from the Academy did nothing but covering him in blood.

Ibiki Morino was found dead by Anko Mitarashi. The woman went to get his boss to interrogate torture and destroy the bastard that had killed the Hokage. He found him in front of his dinner, a red gash covering the bad cooked fish.

When she understood he was dead an unbearable pain started on her neck. She saw the curse mark spreading before falling unconscious. Whispers that promised power and vengeance were her company that night.

Root had conquered the Village.

* * *

_Somewhere between the lands of Fire and Wind._

Jiraya was running fast.

He had been here and there, trying to find information about the situation in Wind. Sensei had told him he was worried; he had told him that the current drop in their mission rate could force their allies in doing something unwise.

So Jiraya, like the dutiful student he was, had left the Village to investigate.

Half way from his destination he felt a little ping on his back.

He had a seal on himself that connected him with his old squad.

Tsunade had demanded to have hers removed when she leaved the Village. He tried to resist. He tried to told her that the seal was only for her protection, that it's only purpose was to let him knew when she was in pain and where she was. So that he could help.

But she had been adamant and so Jiraya, like the dutiful teammate he was, had removed the seal.

Orochimaru had his removed when the war was over and they weren't a squad any more. He didn't even try to argue. Orochimaru always had his way; he stopped at nothing short of a serious beating. For the millionth time since he defected he wished he had never destroyed that mark on his back.

When he had gone to his Sensei with his new seal the Hokage had been awed, like when he invented his transparency jutsu. When he explained that with this he would be able to understand when he was in danger and where he was, so that he could help, he didn't laugh the suggestion away.

He didn't tell him that he didn't need his help, like he had secretly feared the whole time.

Instead he praised him in front of Tsunade and Orochimaru, the second time it ever happened, and ordered them to let Jiraya paint the seals on their backs.

Later Jiraya found out that the Council had stopped his seal to become standard issue for a squad. It was based on the augment of adrenaline and heart rate one has while in danger; after finding out the information the seal transmitted them to the main one that alerted the seal drawer with a ping.

The problem was that also other activities raised heart rate and adrenaline. More enjoyable ones.

However the third Hokage had never destroyed his seal. He helped him include a chakra sensor modification in the array after a rather awkward encounter with a very naked Biwako…

It was thanks to this seal that Jiraya was always in the Village at the right time.

Ping ping ping ping, more painful every time. Then they suddenly stopped. That could mean only two things: or the problem had been resolved or sensei was…

It had been since the Kyuubi that the seal didn't react like that.

Jiraya started running faster.

* * *

_The Uchiha Brothers. Konoha's forest._

"Don't move like that. You will leave marks. Use a thin layered section of chakra to kept your shoes a little bit over the ground; you won't leave tracks that way."

He observed him with his sharingan, giving pointers about how he should mould the flow thanks to the chakra sensing abilities of his eyes. They had been walking for almost an hour and that were the first words spoken.

Sasuke hated him. Endure, he remembered himself.

His little brother's tracks on the pulverous path weren't a problem. The earth was drain, it hadn't rained in days, so for tomorrow morning the wind would have easily removed the footpaths. Even without counting his Kage Bunshins busy leaving false trials all around the Village.

But Sasuke had been through the years one of the few he sincerely enjoyed to be with. One of the few with which he could be himself. The war had left him with scars, the life of his brother was a remainder of what that scars were all about.

Without knowing it Sasuke had kept him sane. For years after returning from the war and after his little brother was born he kept looking at his hands, only to see blood covering them. When he was with the little guy the blood melted away. Sasuke made him remember why he had gone to fight: for others not to kill.

He could endure his hate. He couldn't endure that he didn't speak to him. He only needed to see that he was still alive, that he had still a reason to fight.

Sasuke had stopped crying half an hour ago, probably after ending his tears. Itachi hadn't shed a single tear, too worried about what to do.

He had decided to go the ninja cats. They were always able to found good supplies and information, maybe thanks to them he would finally have a better grasp of the situation and make a proper decision.

"Where are we going?"

"Our clan has… had… a contract with ninja cats."

"I know… dad wanted me to sign it when I would have become a chunin."

This sentence had been a whisper. Itachi could practically hear the tears in his voice. But while the death of his parents pained him he couldn't understand his brother; Itachi had become an orphan five years ago when his father had dishonoured him. Technically he wasn't even an Uchiha.

He would miss the love of his mother, like he had missed the one of his father, but it had been too long since his relationship with his family hadn't been tainted by mistrust to feel only pain. He had the feeling that the Uchiha had got this destiny upon themselves with their own hands. He had the feeling it was the righteous sentence for their mistakes. And he hated himself for it.

He tentatively reached the shoulder of his brother. He didn't hit his hand like the last five times. He took it like a good sign.

"The cats always had a good shop going on. We will be able to restock and we will obtain valuable information about the situation in the Village; maybe we will found a place that recruits."

"Recruits?"

"I can only be a ninja, Sasuke. You can only be a ninja. We were trained all our lives to be ninja, what would we do if we don't be shinobi? I don't know the first thing about farms or managing hot springs. We will need food and a roof on our heads soon. Winter is coming and being an Uchiha will not help against the cold of the wilds and the lack of preys."

"We can always steal."

"If we start to steal and kill our way in the world we will became missing nin fast. In the Land of Fire we will probably be wanted men; but not in Wind, Water, Earth or Lightening. I would rather not have all the Five Great Villages out for our blood."

"Makes sense."

With a clear destination ahead of them the conversation ended once again.

They soon reached the outskirts of Konoha's forest. The large trees started to be thinner and thinner. Now Itachi could embrace the trunk, before he had to walk around it to grasp its full circumference. Itachi suddenly stopped.

"Here we are."

"Where?"

"That's the end of the Konoha's forest. You see how the trees become smaller ahead?"

"Yes."

"When the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha built Konoha the Hokage used his Mokuton abilities to enhance the trees around Konoha. Hashirama in all the years of his reign once a month went out to make trees grow with his chakra. By doing that he made a net of trees connected one to the other; he then used this connections to keep an eye on the outskirt of Konoha. It was like a security system."

"That's interesting, but why you tell me that?"

"Because once we surpass the First Hokage's forest without a mission we are technically traitors."

"Are you scared?"

"One thousand five hundred thirty three. That's the number of men I killed for the Village. I have fought in a war for Konoha, Sasuke. And now I am leaving all of that behind. Have I bled for nothing?"

Sasuke looked at his brother in an all new light. Until this very moment Itachi had always been perfect at his little brother's eyes. To Sasuke Itachi was the one you have to go if you have a problem. Now that he had a problem himself the younger Uchiha didn't know what to do.

"Itachi… Father betrayed Konoha, mother betrayed Konoha, and everyone I have ever known betrayed Konoha. Everyone but you."

Sasuke stopped for a moment and raised his head, to look at his brother right in the eyes.

"For how I see it right now… right now you are one of the few Konoha's nins survived."

Endure, Itachi remembered himself. And he started walking forward.

* * *

_The Old Orphan._

Sarutobi Asuma was smoking madly.

When the news had reached him he had started laughing, blaming a seriously bad joke from Genma. The reality hit him with a slap to his face when Kurenai tenderly hugged him in front of half the people she wanted to hide their relationship from.

He freed himself from the light embrace and went for his nephew Konohamaru, he was sleeping peacefully in his room. His room was at the right side of the one of his beloved grandfather. He decided to let him sleep. It will be his last resting night in a long time.

He numbly asked where his father was. He heard the world hospital and started running towards the building.

Around there ninjas of every clan and rank were standing unable to move. At his sight the crowd split in two, so that he could pass.

He entered to see Anbu everywhere. Where had they been tonight?

Three staircases later he found himself between Koharu, Homura and Danzo. He didn't hear their words, he shoved them aside and entered the room. The Hokage was there. But he wasn't the Hokage, nor he was his father.

He was an old man covered in blood. A nurse trembling with tears cleaning him with a sponge.

She didn't know him and she cried.

She didn't know about the time his sister Rukia had given birth to Konohamaru and he summoned Enma to improvise a little dance with the monkey king. She didn't know about the time he found his youngest son with a cigarette in his hand and, instead of scold him, asked for one and started smoking peacefully with him, smiling all the time. She didn't know the fun he had teasing Kurenai the first time she had dinner at their house.

So why she was crying and he was not?

He escaped on the roof. He watched down to see a crowd, a big shadow in the night, standing silently there; probably waiting for the Hokage to get to the cemetery. A filter fall down and he lit another cigarette

Kurenai found him like standing on the roof, smoking and smoking.

When she put a hand on his shoulder Asuma watched her and smiled. She liked that despite everything that was happening he always found a smile for her.

The smile was short lived. He watched her and said in a broken voice: "My father is dead and I haven't told him: -I love you-".

They stayed there, mourning in silence, until dawn.

* * *

_The Witnesses_

"Take this."

Naruto found himself having a little sake cup in his hand. Kakashi was standing there right in front of him with a little bottle he had produced from somewhere on his person. They were in one of the Yondaime Hokage's old safe house. The place was small, well stocked and so well hidden that the only way to found it was to know it was there.

"I am too young to drink."

"No one is too young to honour a fallen comrade, take this."

He got the small cup in his hand. Kakashi poured a healthy dose of the liquid for the both of them. Then he looked right in the blue eyes of his little companion; they were the eyes of a dead man. He had seen them in his own face after Obito died for months.

"To the Sandaime Hokage."

The liquid burned the throat of the young boy for the first time. The Hokage dead, traitors in the Village, and a demon in his gut… suddenly Uzumaki Naruto wished to drink himself to unconsciousness.

"Maybe you don't remember me…"

Naruto didn't feel much like talking right now, so he cut the dialogue short.

"No, I don't."

"Of course you don't. When you were young, much younger, I was one of the Anbu assigned to guard you… for the Kyuubi."

Kakashi wasn't known for his social abilities. He hadn't a lot of friends. He was well known for his skills during a mission but, certainly, he couldn't understand the first thing about helping an emotional teen to accept a loss.

Since the seal had got them to the house the little conversation about the sake was the only one that happened. Naruto kept on watching the wall in front of him, like searching in it the answer to all the questions in the world.

This was a very meaningful moment for Naruto; Kakashi could get at least that.

It was the first time he was exposed to the harsh reality that was the life of the ninja. Until now it all had been like a crazy dream. Most little boys became ninja for money or fame; they became ninja to spitting out fire and to use lightning like an extension of their will.

So most little boys weren't ready to kill bandits or to kidnap children. They weren't ready for betrayal, they weren't ready to go to sleep only after you have booby trapped your apartment. Kakashi had his own dreams about ninjas destroyed when he saw his father dead.

After that being ninja had become a gory and messy business.

Sadly only after Obito had died he understood the true reasons one had to have to become a ninja. The desire to protect, to create a better world. Ninja hide in the shadows and did terrible things, but without them the light couldn't exist at all.

For this reason he couldn't serve Danzo. The only thing he could never leave behind was that, maybe, his actions will help in create a better future. The difference between Danzo and Hiruzen was that the former would issue a mission to kill some uninvolved civilian if Konoha could grow thanks to it; the Sandaime wasn't one for mindless bloodshed.

He should have been Naruto's sensei, so better teach him this soon.

"When I was guarding you I always admired you."

Naruto was a little taken aback and didn't get exactly what to do. In his twelve years of life he had been complimented exactly by four people: Teuchi, Ayame, Iruka and the Old Man. So he didn't know how to answer to the masked face.

"I always found you to be one of the strongest person I've ever known. How the Village would set you aside and how you will always come back, each time smiling… well it was a sign of great strength. Now you have to decide if you want to go back."

"I can't go back to Konoha."

"No, no. If you want to go back to be a ninja, that was what I was asking. Being a shinobi isn't pretty. You have been exposed sooner than most people to what being a ninja truly means. We are high trained soldiers, we live in the shadow, we stab exposed backs and we poison. We aren't saints or heroes."

"And what are ninja then? Killers and traitors?"

"We are tools. But I don't want to be a tool that can be in everyone hands. I have killed a lot in my life, I have fought in a war and I have lost many comrades. But never have I seen such a betrayal has the one that happened tonight. What Danzo did is not the way of the Leaf and I will not be his tool. After all my Hokage give me an order I want to accomplish with all my heart."

"What order?"

"Protect you, guide you, teach you."

Once again Naruto was rendered speechless.

"Do you know about the dream Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage, tried to accomplish with the Village?"

"No, what was it?"

"He wanted to build a place where the next generation could grow in peace, free from the dangers of the wars that destroyed the land. That's what a Konoha's ninja is, a dark shadow that protect the future."

Naruto started to remember. He remembered when he live at the orphanage and the Hokage was the only one to be gentle to him at the time; he remembered that he found the time to visit him at least once a week, but he wasn't there only for him.

He had a smile or a gentle word for every orphan. He found time to play with the swing… or how he would always hide a sweet in the pockets of a sad child without being caught.

He remembered every single act of kindness. He remembered every cup of ramen the Hokage offered him. He remembered when a mean lady told him to not bother the Hokage, because the man had more important things to do than play with him.

When he asked the Old Man if playing with him was causing trouble at work the Hokage told him: "Playing with you, Naruto-kun, is the main duty of the Hokage".

When Naruto asked why the Hokage had answered: "What kind of Hokage doesn't look after the future of his country?"

Danzo was that kind of Hokage. Danzo would stop at nothing if that would mean improve his power. He would kill, he would betray and he certainly wasn't going to look after the future. In that moment Naruto had an epiphany.

He suddenly jumped up, fist pumping proudly in the air.

"That's it!" he said, "We will get that dream and our Konoha back. Believe it!"

"That's the spirit."

Kakashi then poured the both of them another cup of sake.

"We will drink to the Sandaime again?"

"No, this time we will drink to make an oath. Take it."

The older man and the much younger one were standing one in front of the other, the sake's cups between them. It wasn't a glorious business. From an outside observer they would seem like a midget and a lanky man both looking stupidly serious while sitting on a dusty floor.

The neon orange jumpsuit of the boy and the erotic book placed casually on the man legs did a lot to ridicule the situation. But in their eyes you could find a fire ready to take on the entire world.

They drank and said: "To save Konoha."


	3. Chapter 3: Funerals

Before we go on with chapter 3 bakapervert made some questions that should be answered.

Why Enma doesn't tell the rest of the Sarutobi about treason? Simply because both Asuma and Konohamaru hadn't signed the contract, so they could not be reverse summoned to the summons' realm. The only way Enma could have go to the Village was using one of that automatic summon things showed in the fight with Pain. I assumed monkeys didn't have one like the toads.

Why Fukasaku doesn't inform Tsunade? Fukasaku can't inform Tsunade because he doesn't know where she is. At this point in canon Tsunade was happily drunk, losing her money all around the country. Secondly without a summoner in the Village I don't think Fukasaku had a reason to go to the Village at all, so he didn't know about the Coup. Remember that Jiraya only knew that the Hokage was in the danger, not that there was a coup d'état going on.

Why Danzo doesn't kill all the Sarutobi clan? For that you have to read the chapter.

Speaking about the chpater I will jump around a lot with the time flow, tell me if it's clear.

Ah, since I haven't done it the first two times around I'll do it now. I don't own Naruto, but if I did this would be my plot.

_**Chapter 3:**_

_**Funerals**_

_Fugaku_

A flash of light was shoved forcefully in his eyes. He didn't recognize anyone. What he did recognize was one of the dark rooms in which the greatest cruelty Konoha was capable of took place. The torture will be terrible.

The last clan head of the Uchiha had fallen low. It was the third time since the founding of the Village that an Uchiha ended up in prison. Now he would probably the last one to go to jail, or to actually do something at all.

Why did they trust Danzo?

The answer was simple. They didn't have faith in Danzo. He had tried to be on the lookout for a double game but he had miserably failed. He had based his defences on his beliefs that the Uchiha, despite being over numbered by Danzo's shinobi, could easily destroy every ninja so foolish to fight them. He now understood that the only fool was himself.

He tried to gather chakra to his sharingan, just to have a better grasp on the situation and maybe make a run for it. He didn't believe he could leave the Village but he wanted to check on his family, or on what of his family was still standing.

The energy inside him didn't get out. Standard procedure was that a captive chakra should be sealed as soon as possible. After working side by side with Root for almost five years he had learned only one thing about the masked ninjas: they followed the guidelines.

The light was on his face once again.

"I think he is awake." One of the two men in the room said, he wore a gas mask on his face; the all covering clothes identified him as an Aburame.

"Good. Bring the tools Torume."

The answer come from the other guy in the room, he was a sturdy blonde. Maybe he was a Yamanaka and his pain will be shorter. He just wanted to speak one last time with his family; he just wanted to tell his sons how sorry he was.

"On it, Fu."

The now identified Fu was looking at him; years of ninja training and countless interrogations during his time in the Police Force told him nothing about what he was thinking. He searched without success for a trace of pity, a little hope to grasp for himself before the end. In his eyes there was nothing, not even the sadistic gleam most torturers use to break the prisoners.

The man did some hand signs and Fugaku felt a presence in his mind. His mind was searched thoroughly by Fu's technique. When it was over he felt an urge to puke. Fu had seen what he was; he had seen his memories and his deepest thoughts of these last five years. He probably understood Fugaku better than his own wife.

He didn't have a genjutsu to defend himself from the Yamanaka's jutsus. Guarding his thoughts wasn't something he should have worried about while dealing with the mind walkers; despite everything he had been the head of the Police, no mind techniques of Konoha were to be put on him.

When Torume come back he had a sturdy leather bag with him. He opened it and started to put the objects on small table in the room. Scissors, pincers, syringes, various kinds of blades. Fugaku unconsciously gulped.

After completing his little task Torume looked to his companion.

"They had any contingence plans?"

"No, nothing of the sort. Like you can conquer a Village by roaming in the street with a kunai. He sometimes considered betraying Lord Danzo and taking the hat for himself but he had nothing planned."

"Not even an escape route if things went south?"

"You know how the Uchiha are, too proud to think that someone can best them. He even had a half idea about a betrayal from the Commander but did nothing to stop him. He thought –I can always kill him-."

This little chat did nothing to ease Fugaku's mind. The Uchiha had been stupid, but he had been the greatest fool of all of them. The last words he heard the Sandaime said -Danzo you always had talent in choosing your pawns- struck him like thunder.

They had been only that, just pawns. Something easy to sacrifice and easy to forget.

"What we do now?" Fu inquired.

"We torture him, we torture him badly. He has just killed our Hokage after all; we have to act the part."

After grabbing a pair of pincers the stoic mask that was Fu's face looked towards Torume and said:

"Start with the right hand, I get the left foot. Be fast, I don't want to miss breakfast."

They put themselves to work and Fugaku started to scream.

* * *

_Asuma_

They had buried the Hokage at dawn. Asuma didn't want to go; he wanted to bury his father next to his sister and his mother, not next to same nameless faces. But Kurenai had made him understood that now he was Konohamaru's guardian and that he had to give the little boy a chance to say goodbye to his grandfather.

So he had waked up the boy and he had told him what had happened. The two last Sarutobi had cried together for some time before getting dressed in black. It was the second funeral of Konohamaru's life. The first was the one of his mother; she had died on a mission when he was only three. That time he had hide himself into Hiruzen's robes and wept for days, now he walked besides his uncle trying to stand with his head high. But he was still trembling and clenching his hands.

The funeral passed in a foggy manner for the both of them.

After the Hogake had been buried the Regent Council reached for him. Homura, Koharu and Danzo seemed joined to the hip since after his father had died. He didn't want to talk with them but now he had someone to take care of, even if he had to deal with politicians to be able to do it.

"Councilmen", he said bowing respectfully.

"Asuma-san", they greeted in exchange.

"We are very sorry for your loss", Koharu advanced for all of them.

"Thank you."

"Ah, there is young Konohamaru-kun. How he has taken the news?" inquired Homura.

Konohamaru was standing next to the grave, praying. Next to him was Kurenai, on guard duty.

"He is distraught, obviously, but in him there is bravery."

"I am sorry to cut this short", Danzo said in a manner that showed how not sorry he was, "but we are here only to give you this."

Danzo then shoved a little scroll right to his face.

"What is this?"

"It's your father will. We have found it in the Hokage's private library while searching for evidence against the Uchiha tonight. We are going to execute Uchiha Fugaku in the next few hours in front of the Hokage Tower. We must take our leave, until the next time Sarutobi Asuma."

The councilmen bowed to him and left.

So they missed the look of utterly disgust on his face. A public execution on the ground in front of the Hogake's tower, such a thing was unheard of Konoha. Execution happened in the Village, like in every other country, but they were never a show of violence or revenge.

When a man was executed in Konoha the execution was made in a silent spot in the forest, away from prying eyes, so to give the family a little bit of privacy. It was the way of Konoha.

The councilmen had told him about the execution to appease him instead they had made him lose what little trust he had in his father's co-workers. He looked at the will in his hands and reached for Kurenai and Konohamaru.

They left soon after, avoiding the crowd that was trying to speak with the late Hokage son. The peace of their home was a blessing, no one trying to have a piece of the Sandaime through him or Konohamaru. He didn't know what to do.

Today was the day in which he would have had his first day as the Jonin-sensei of team Ten. The new genin teams' tests had been postponed for a week. In the attack also the Nara kid, Shikamaru, had lost his father. A sad smile found his way on his face when he thought something around the lines of "Sarutobi Asuma. I also have lost my father recently, so let's get along" for an introduction.

He grabbed his father will. He absentmindedly looked for the little needle his father put on every scroll as a mean of protection. When the scroll was closed his father placed a little almost invisible needle in a side of the scroll; the scroll was then wrapped tightly and well tied with a rope. When someone felt the presence or the absence of the needle that someone could understand if the scroll had been opened.

The scroll had been opened.

He tried to find something that justified the act, but it was only a normal will.

Guardianship of Konohamaru, the house, put flowers and burn incense on the tomb of your sister and your mother every year on the day of their deaths. Nothing was amiss.

He read through it three times before noticing something strange. He had seen his father signature a lot during his life and something was strange in it. A line in a kanji a little different from his father perfect calligraphy, a strange circular line between two characters, a drop of ink on the side. His father never let something ruin the perfection of his documents; he even rewrote something if a drop of black had fallen on the wrong spot. This signature was weird.

He looked at it three more times before turning it upside down. Maybe from this new point of view he could understand better why his father had done something like that. Nothing, just some strange lines that had no business in being in his father's signature.

"Asuma what is that?"

Kurenai had entered the room, beautiful as always. He looked at her and smiled. He liked how she was always able to put a smile on his face. She seemed a little bit stressed, with dark rings under her eyes; it was understandable. Like him she hadn't have any sleep that night, busy with keeping him company and giving support.

"My father's will."

Some of his doubts should have been on his expression because she started to interrogate him.

"What's happening? Is something missing on the will? He has given you guardianship of Konohamaru, hasn't he?"

She was going in her mother hen mode. It wasn't a pretty thing so, before she went to the Council to contradict his father's will, he stopped her.

"Slow down. I have the house, guardianship of Konohamaru, all the package. But there isn't something strange in the signature."

"Something strange? How so?"

"The signature, it's a little different from the normal one."

"Have you tried to see it upside and down? It's the best way to hide a message."

Asuma's face lighted up with a look of realization. He jumped up from the couch and kissed her. He then started swinging her around the living room.

"What was that for?"

"Because you are a genius."

"So there is a message that you can see only by looking at the will upside and down?"

"No, no. Already tried."

She was a little bit crestfallen. If she hadn't be right why he had be so happy? It hadn't been a bad surprise. It had been the first time since yesterday that Asuma had felt something that wasn't sadness, but she wanted to believe it was for a reason and not because he was going crazy.

"My father always told me that best way to hide a message it's not to write it upside down. He said: - If you want to hide something in a scroll write it after turning the scroll on a side-. I remembered it thanks to you."

He rotated the scroll on its left and, clear as the sun, he saw a storage seal.

By looking at the scroll from its left all the little things that appeared strange in his father's signature took part of the design of a normal storage seal. The little circular line was the control zone, the dot was the chakra's regulation point, the little misshape in a character in conjunction with other little mistakes in the writing were the central array.

He unsealed what his father had hidden so well to find another scroll in his hand. He checked its sides to find if the needle was still in its spot. It was.

He opened it and he started to read his father's final words:

_To Asuma._

_I don't have much time. Right now Danzo is in my office trying to kill me. Luckily he found me with Naruto Uzumaki that was able to give me the time to use a clone to leave a message. Don't worry about Naruto, I am going to bring him to Kakashi and then I will order them to leave the Village. If Danzo will become the Hogake consider my last command to be order Omega. Luckily all the clan heirs are under your care or the care of Kurenai._

_Before you start screaming about how stupid I was to go to die like that, without asking for help, you must understand that no Anbu come to aid me. I don't know how much Danzo's organization is spread in the Village, but I don't believe the men loyal to me to be the majority._

_DON'T CHALLENGE DANZO! If you are still alive after my death it's only because you aren't considered a treat; if you change that then you will die. If you defy Danzo directly the only thing that will happen will be a war in Konoha. He has all the Anbu ready to die for him and, probably, people inside every single department. Avenging me isn't a good enough reason to make blood rain in our Village._

_There are few that you can trust. Kurenai, Anko, Jiraya, Kakashi, Guy and maybe Choza, Inoichi and Shikaku. The others are all probable enemies._

_Take care of Konohamaru. Take care of the future. Make me proud my son, I love you._

The scroll fell from his hands. It hit the floor without making almost any sound. He had become deaf to Kurenai's questions. So she grabbed the scroll from the floor and started reading. After reading she looked at his lover. The haunted look on her face was a perfect mirror of Asuma's expression.

* * *

_Jiraya_

"Jiraya-sama!"

Things were bad in the Village. The Sannin could tell the difference between peaceful times and times of war; there was a dark edge in everybody's eyes during war. The always opened gates of the city were closed. The chunin guards on duty weren't looking at him with awe, like usually happened, but with relief.

Civilian and ninjas alike were walking sadly around the streets; everyone was showing off black clothes. He now realized that his sensei was no more. He had been in two wars, had fought terrible enemies, and lost a student that was as son, so he knew grief. But he had somehow kept on thinking his sensei like an unbeatable being.

After losing his focus for just seconds he steeled himself. It was time to do, not to mourn. Mourning would come later, when the Village was back on his feet.

He walked towards the chunin that had called his name before.

"What happened here?" he asked, but he was asking more for a confirm than for a fact.

"Terrible things Jiraya-sama. Earlier tonight the Uchiha attacked the Hokage, a Coup that's what happened. The Hogake died fighting valiantly, fifty men against one and he was able to kill twenty of those traitorous bastards. The attack was well planned, no one noticed a thing. When the Anbu-commander understood what was happening it was too late. He tried to save the Hokage, but he failed."

"Danzo was there?"

Jiraya asked, a little bit angrier than necessary and scaring the chunin in front of him. He never liked Danzo. He hadn't like him since he forced Minato to go on all of those assassination missions during the war. Every single one resembled more a suicide attack than an operation. Minato was always able to come back and the War Hawk always had a bitter look on his face.

"Yes, Jiraya-Sama. He killed the Uchiha, expect Fugaku. He had been brought to T&I tonight for questioning. Fifteen Anbu were killed in the fight, they will be buried with the Sandaime this afternoon."

Anbu dead, Fugaku still alive for questioning… maybe Danzo didn't have anything to do with this story but he had a feeling in his gut, and since feelings like this one had kept him alive in two wars he decided to follow his instincts.

"Uchiha Fugaku is still alive? Good, I want to talk to him."

"It may be too late Jiraya-sama."

"Too late?"

"Fugaku was found with a bloodied sword right next to a bleeding Hokage. He will be executed soon in front of the Hokage's building. How I wish I could see the bastard's head roll on the ground…"

He kept speaking to the air, Jiraya had already left.

When he arrived at the execution's site he found a great crowd. He tried to get to the scaffold before the sentence could be actuated but he was too late.

He heard between the cheers of the people gathered the calm and even voice of Danzo. He saw, being taller than most, the Anbu commander stand between Homura and Koharu. He saw the white sword hanging at his side.

"Fugaku Uchiha, the regent Council had found you guilty of all the accuses. You have committed high treason and murder. The sentence for this accuses his death. Any last words?"

Fugaku didn't answer. Jiraya, now finally close enough to the platform to see the Uchiha in the face, saw the signs of torture clearly. Probably the man had had his tongue cut off. He was only another witness dying without being able to mutter a word.

"So be it."

Danzo unsheathed the sword and with one clean movement removed Fugaku's head from his neck.

Immediately an Anbu took the body and the head away, probably to burn them.

A high pierced scream come from behind the execution platform, where the other Uchiha were kept in chains. Uchiha Mikoto looked at the puddle of blood that was now the last reminder of her husband. Too shocked to hear he didn't listen to her fellow clansmen screams of rage and betrayal.

But Jiraya did listen and what had been only a feeling in his gut became a fact. Danzo had killed the Hokage, but he could do nothing. The Village believed in the Uchiha betrayal, maybe it was even true. It wouldn't be the first time Danzo used someone else and then silenced him forever.

Without proofs his hands were tied. Without knowing how many shinobi he had, how deep they were in the Village and how powerful the single shinobi was every accusation will only end in mindless bloodshed. He knew that a man that spat with his very being on the Will of Fire would probably get the Hokage's hat and he could do nothing about it.

But the show was still going on.

Danzo told about the evidence that had been found in Fugaku's mind. Told everyone in the Village how all the clan was guilty. Whispers in the crowd were telling stories about lovers betrayed, teams shattered and friendships destroyed. Then there was a string of names and rolling heads.

Uchiha Mikoto was the first of many. When the execution ended only sixteen Uchiha were still standing. They were the only ones too little to know about the Coup. The oldest was probably seven years old, the youngest was still an infant, a teary eyed little thing clutched to one of his cousins chest.

Danzo moved forward, his clothes drenched in blood and the white hilt of his sword now red, and started talking once again.

"The ones you see behind me are the last of the Uchiha. They knew nothing about the Coup and they knew nothing about the Hokage's death. This Council can't execute them, for they are not guilty. We have put them under Anbu surveillance until they have proven themselves loyal to Konoha."

The screams of rage and death that were starting to rise between the crowds were the last thing Jiraya was expecting. Konoha had always took pride in having pity for the children and now they wanted to move the sword against their own, against babies and children they had seen growing up.

It was the old fear ninjas had about bloodlines. Some idiot was telling about the "Cursed Eyes" of the Uchiha, how that made those boys and girls, little things that knew nothing of warfare and death, murderers and traitors.

"Stop this madness!"

Danzo was the one to address the audience. Jiraya had been too lost in his own thoughts to resolve the matter. When the bloodied war hawk started speaking again the crowd was silent.

"What are we? I ask because I don't think ninjas of the glorious Konoha should ever be afraid of children. I ask because ninjas of Konoha should know and protect our laws. Are we monsters that kill helpless children?"

When shouts of Danzo-sama started a satisfied grin found his place in the face of the Anbu commander. It had been too quick to be seen by most of the shinobi in attendance, but Jiraya didn't miss it; he dind't miss the look of utterly satisfaction on that face.

The Anbu started to bring the children away, still chained one to the other, while the mass of people started to disperse. A lone man was walking in the opposite direction, when everyone was going away from the platform he was going towards it. He was obviously trying to reach Danzo but the Anbu guards of the commander stopped him. He claimed it was an urgent matter, which the Council should hear about it, but his pleas were ignored.

Jiraya decided if someone had such an urge to see Danzo he should know the reason. He had just understood that the war hawk had planned a coup d'état after all. Every single piece of information could be useful.

So when Umino Iruka entered a bar and ordered something to drink he found himself in the company of the legendary Jiraya. The with haired man grabbed him for his chunin vest with one hand and his bottle with the other, dropped him at a table in a corner and after slurping down a cup of his sake said:

"Let's talk."

* * *

_Danzo_

Danzo could almost feel the hat on his head. The symbol of command will soon put his rightful spot. On him. He was sure of it. One of his Anbu was at Daimyo's palace, he had been there disguised as a manservant for almost three years, so to avoid the suspicions of the Twelve Guardian Ninjas. And his soldier was ready to put the feudal lord in a genjutsu, if the Daimyo seemed to want to give the position to another ninja.

His plan had gone perfectly.

The Uchiha were dead, he had made sure of it. He had to take two baths, only to remove all the blood that had found his way on him after the massive execution in the morning. The sixteen left were going to disappear soon in Root, a little army of sharingan ready to die for him.

They would be hard to break, that's sure, but threatening to kill one of them will sure force the others to follow his orders.

The sons of the clan leaders were missing, but he wasn't worried. Itachi would probably be able to fight on par with him, maybe also kill him, but he had no reason to do so. There was no love between him and his clan. He surely wasn't going to search for revenge.

The Sarutobi were still cause of concern, but they had their hands tied. If they were going to cause a ruckus in the Village then he simply had to organize a few incidents. Letting them live was a risk, but having his Anbus kill more than three targets in the same night would have caused too much questions. Especially those targets.

How could the best ninjas in the Village miss four assassinations in the same night? Furthermore the Hokage's residence was guarded by Anbu at night, so it would have been impossible to blame the Uchiha if Asuma and Konohamaru were found dead.

He smiled at his luck; amazingly he hadn't even had to make excuse for the lack of guards at the Hogake's office. The four Anbu that had engaged the Hokage in combat were believed to be the ones on guard duty the night of the attack. They were believed to have been killed by the Uchiha while escorting the Hokage after the attack at the Tower.

He had looked through the will he had given to Hiruzen's son at least four times. He had found nothing. By giving it to his son he had avoided to have Sarutobi Asuma go to the Hokage's office. As a wind user he would surely recognize the signs of the wind jutsus he used the night before, and there were no wind user in the Uchiha clan. After he got his rightful spot as the Hokage it would have been too easy to connect the dots.

Hiruzen's summon could have easily explained what was happening, but Asuma and Konohamaru hadn't signed the contract. Asuma hadn't because he wasn't liked by his father's summons, for something he had done during his youth. He had no reason to believe he would be liked by them now. Konohamaru would probably sign it when he reached the rank of chunin, as it was a tradition to get the right to fight alongside the family summons only after the promotion.

The Sarutobi were a cause of concern, but killing them when they knew nothing would only damage his plans.

The biggest pain on his neck was the jinchuruki. His Anbu had been trying to found him for at least eleven hours, but without success, maybe someone was hiding him? But why? He wasn't liked. Maybe he had left the Village. He had to order his Anbu to widen the search…

He snapped out of his thoughts when Homura asked him if he was ready for the Council. Looking around he found the chamber to be full with his men. The head of the Hunter Nin Division, the head of the Demolition Squad, the leader of the Cryptanalysis Division, the commander of the Border Patrol Unity and many others.

Obviously the Jonin Commander and the Head Interrogator were missing, both being killed in the attack the night before. They were the only two leaders of the divisions that hadn't left the Village in these five years. The only two that hadn't had a mysterious incident while on a mission.

The Clan Heads were also there. He looked at them with a little bit of worry, they were between the few that could challenge his right as the next Hogake.

The only one that was amiss in this Council was Jiraya, half sitting on the edge of the window. He was a powerful ninja, but he wasn't a member of the Council. When he had tried to make him leave the Clan Heads had decided he should assist at the meeting. And so he was there. And he had a murderous look every time he looked at Danzo.

The conference begun and the Daimyo was on the screen.

"What a sad day… What a sad day, indeed."

The Daimyo started to swing his fan around, he then started to speak once again.

"But we have to elect a new Hokage, do any of you have a name to propose?"

Choza Akimichi started to speak in his deep voice. He said Jiraya's name. He presented a well-built case. He spoke about his power in combat, about the respect he invoked in the Five Great Nations and about his accomplishments as a sensei.

When he ended the Daimyo looked pleased.

"Oh, oh. I like it! Jiraya was the sensei of the Yondaime and the student of the Sandaime. I like it! So what do you think about it, Jiraya?"

Danzo saw Jiraya look at him for a moment before bowing respectfully in front of the Daimyo and accepting the honour of the position.

He couldn't end like this! Not after five years of careful planning, so Danzo decided to make a gamble. He slammed his hands on the table and screamed: "NO".

"The Sandaime's teachings have as good as destroyed the Village!"

The expression on the face of the Daimyo told Danzo how little he believed in his words, before the feudal lord could stop him Danzo started to speak.

"Five years ago an Anbu found evidence of betrayal in the Uchiha clan. After we started our investigations we found the whole clan to be involved. A whole clan that wanted to kill the Hokage and destroy Konoha from within. I proposed, alongside Homura and Koharu, to kill them all more than one time. But the Sandaime kept on refusing, he even sent me to sign a peace treaty with them. A peace treaty in my Village!"

"That's not true! You are twisting the facts…"

Jiraya was cut down by the Daimyo who wanted to hear more about this story.

"Why wasn't I informed?" he demanded to the chamber. His tone of voice had lost his playful edge.

It was Danzo who answered.

"It ended up into nothing, or so we believed. Konoha didn't need a scandal mere years after the attack of the Kyuubi, so we kept it hidden. But is that the kind of Hokage you want for your Village, Daimyo-sama? A Hokage that can be distracted from his duty by his pity? Konoha doesn't need that kind of Hokage! Konoha need a Hokage like me! A Hokage that can control the situation, a Hokage that can do what has to be done, a Hokage that can act in accord with the laws of the Village!"

Jiraya was fuming with rage. It had ended like he feared it would have ended, the only thing that could stop the Daimyo right now was calling out Danzo on his crimes. But he had no proof and he didn't want to cause a war between Danzo's forces and the late Sandaime's loyalists. His hands were tied.

He tried to speak once again but the Daimyo stopped him.

"So be it. From now on you are the Godaime Hokage, Danzo."

The Daimyo disappeared from the screen just as Jiraya leaved the Village. He had something to do and he had always known that there was little he could do to stop Danzo. He had even accepted the hat instead of dumping it on Tsunade like he had always planned to do, hoping that the Daimyo would have given him the position before Danzo could speak. But it hadn't been the case.

Danzo didn't miss the fast exit of Jiraya, but thought nothing of it. The man had just been an inch away from being Hogake, a bit of rage was understandable.

When Danzo grabbed the hat and put it on his head he felt like a great mistake had been just corrected.

* * *

_Kakashi_

A brown haired man with blue eyes was strolling around the Village. He was the classic face that couldn't be distinguished in a crowd. Not so beautiful to stand out, not so ugly to call eyes on himself just because his nose was strange.

The only thing that was a little strange about the man was his demeanour. It was like he was half sleeping, like he wasn't focused on the road, but he had been able to avoid a lot of collisions without looking.

The brown haired man knew that was better for his cover to let random passer-byes hit him, but doing so would make him disappear. Because the man wasn't a man, he was the clone of a man. He was actually the clone of Kakashi Hatake sent to find some news about what was going on in the Village.

The clone had already seen a lot of things he didn't like. Or that maybe the original wouldn't like. Being a clone was confusing enough without trying to understand if what he felt was felt by him or was just a copy of the original's emotions.

But he knew for sure that the public massacre of the Uchiha of the morning had made him feel sick at the stomach. Or it would if he had a stomach and he wasn't just a chakra's construct.

After the execution in the morning he went to visit the Sandaime's tomb. He had missed the funeral, he felt sad about it. Maybe. It was confusing being a clone.

Now he was waiting for the Council to decide who will be the next Hokage.

When someone started to shout the name of Danzo he felt disgusted. When he knew beyond doubts that the traitor had become the new leader of the Village he started to search for somewhere where was safe to dispel.

He was hit by a random thought. He somehow recognized in him an incredibly strong urge to go in front of the Memorial Stone. So at the amazingly slow pace of a civilian he reached the monument.

He stared at it for a while. Somewhere from inside him a name came out, he whispered -Obito-. He didn't know why he was standing in a field, in front a black stone whispering a name. He knew who Obito was because he was Kakashi's clone, and so he knew what he knew.

But he had never known Obito, he had been made exactly eleven hours ago… Obito had died during a war that had happened more than a decade before. It wasn't right that he had to feel so sad for someone he had never met.

"My Eternal Rival! Where have you been in these dark days?"

A strange man he knew as Guy but that he never met was standing in front of him.

"Oh, I am sorry, my good man! I somehow recognized you as one of my friends, for that mistake I should do one hundreds pull ups using only my left hand index finger! Yosh!"

And he left running so fast to leave an afterimage.

Kakashi's clone had the feeling that this man should be trusted, that he had to know about what was going on in the Village.

"It's me, Kakashi!" he shouted.

That stopped him. He turned around and run back in a storm of dust.

"Where have you been? Do you know how worried I was? The Hokage was dead and you were missing!"

He raised his fist and attacked Kakashi, only to find himself in front of a log.

"Don't hit me!"

"Oh, I'll hit you until you apologize for making everyone worry!"

Kakashi ducked under a kick and screamed: "I am a clone!"

Guy stopped mere millimetres from his face.

"Listen to me. Danzo. It was all a plan of Danzo to become Hogake. I don't have much time left, I am running out of chakra. Go to Asuma, he will be able to help. Don't do anything foolish! The Anbu are all at Danzo's side…"

Kakashi's clone disappeared in a puff of smoke leaving behind a very shocked Guy.

Miles away the original started to laugh like a mad man. When Naruto asked what was going on he answered: "I have just released the great Green Beast against Danzo. He would not know what'll hit him."

* * *

_Shikamaru_

Shikamaru glanced up at the sky. No clouds in sight. How he would have liked to be a cloud today! He could have done just what he wanted, flying freely in the skies, with nothing to worry about. Glancing down at the earth he knew he had a lot of things to worry about.

The biggest problem of all was his mother. Not that his mother was a problem. She was bossy, loud, demanding, scary, always angry, but she wasn't a problem. She was a loving wife and a loving mum. Shikamaru understand what she was going through, how much pain she must be in.

If he started to move around moping and grieving he was going to lose his mother so soon after losing his father. Because, obviously, if his mother started to see him dying day by day, losing himself into unhappiness, she would start to die day by day too and became unhappy and he was going to be more unhappy because she was unhappy and so he had to be strong.

His father was dead.

His mother hug was just at the right time. She always knew when to hug him when he was sad. He asked himself if she knew also when dad needed help or just a little bit of sympathy. He found that his objective to be strong had failed, both he and his mother were crying.

He felt Choji hand on his shoulder. Good old Choji always besides him, always there. Through thick and thin.

His father funeral was the second one they had to go today. At dawn the Hokage had been buried between the Anbu that had died fighting with him. His father was to be buried in the family's graveyard, next to the previous clan head, hours later. Only close friends had come there, with the Hokage dead a Nara didn't get much attention.

Shikamaru liked it. He didn't want to cry in front of half the Village.

Shikamaru looked around; there were a lot of people he didn't know. There were his cousins, his uncles and his aunts; Choza and Inoichi with their families… But he didn't know half of the ninja there. He thought it was good that his father had so many friends and comrades.

He had to give a speech before covering the coffin, but his mother had understood him and asked Inoichi to give it at his stead. Choza was too distraught to do anything but crying, his wife right next to him.

When Inoichi got in front of the standing crowd he felt some of the more uptight member of his clan judging stares on him. He knew he should be there giving this speech, but his throat was so arse and his legs trembled so much.

He half listened Inoichi told the audience about a time during the third war when his father's tactics had given Konoha an unlikely victory. The speech of Inoichi was good, moving actually. Halfway Choza had started to cry so hard to wet his black shirt.

But the man Inoichi was talking about was a soldier, a commander, a teenager, a good guy, an awkward man trying to conquer a woman; he wasn't his dad. He wanted to tell everybody who his dad was. So he freed himself from the light embrace of his mother and started to walk towards Inoichi. The taller man kindly stepped aside to let him talk.

"My father was… my dad was, well, my dad. He was always lazing around with me, telling me stories or just looking at the clouds. He was never angry when I failed a test at the Academy but always had a smile and a word of encouragement. He sometimes, rarely, woke up before everyone and dragged me to the Training Grounds, so to teach me something new about our clan's techniques and history. He was my dad. Well… what I really want to say is that I am proud to be your son, I'll miss you."

And he walked back towards his mother, who hugged him once again. He felt the familiar sensation of Choji's hand on his shoulder. Suddenly their touch disappeared. He found himself standing in front of a crying Ino Yamanaka, former friend now harpy at the Academy, that hugged him.

"I am very sorry Shikamaru."

After that she went back to her mother, crying the whole way. Yesterday Shikamaru would have thought for days about a popular girl at the Academy hugging one of the losers, right now he couldn't care less. He sometimes still saw his father blood on his hands, he felt useless.

He swore to train harder than ever, so that he could always be there for his mother.

The funeral ended up soon after, everyone went back towards their homes. The event of the night had had their toll on every person. He mindlessly heard Choza said something about how sudden the attack was, how they were able to strike three targets without any issue, how lucky they had been.

He went back to his home with his mother. Their house was spotless; members of the clan had volunteered to clean up. On the table there was already something to eat. They both seated down and ate, more for the other one's sake that for their own, and went directly to bed.

There was so much to tell and so much to do but he was so tired. The emotional rollercoaster of the night before and this day of funerals must have got to him.

He had a troubled sleep. Random images of his father were coming up continuously.

He saw him relaxing in a grass field, his back towards him. When he got to him he walked to his other side and saw blood pouring from his neck. He tried to stop the flow with his hands but he wasn't able to help him. Shikamaru's hands were covered in blood once again.

The blood on his hands started to flow back in instead of out. He saw himself and he was different. He looked towards his dad that was now bandaging his left hand, a bloodied kunai discarded on the floor.

Shikamaru remembered it. It was the first time he had held a sharp kunai, and he had somehow been able to cut his left palm open. Shikaku had been there to bandage his wound. They had been talking about something after that. His subconscious told him that it was necessary to remember.

Shikamaru woke up and then remembered. He didn't feel like sleeping anymore. He run towards his father bedroom, trying not to glance at the bed, and took the map of Konoha that was hanging on the wall. Back in his room he put the map on the floor took a brush and started working. Three hours later he had something to show to his mother.

Yoshino was sleeping on the couch downstairs when she was woken up by her son in the middle of the night. He seemed a little bit crazy, with ink stains all over his clothes and his face.

"Mum, look at this!"

He then unrolled the map of Konoha that should have been quietly hanging in her room upstairs.

He pointed towards the West Gate.

"Here is when the Hokage was found dead, right?" Without waiting for an answer he continued.

"Danzo said that he found evidence of an attack at the Hokage tower. So the Hokage must have left his office and went towards the Gate, where he was ambushed. Now four Anbu were found dead roughly in this area."

He said pointing somewhere in the North of the Village. She was still too numb for the pain and the lack of sleep to do anything but nodding.

"Now an ambush works only if the objective walks in it otherwise it's useless. For that to make sense the Hokage must have been guided towards the West Gate by the Uchiha, if that is not the case why would the Hokage walk in a trap? So the Uchiha attacked three targets, the Hokage, that Morino guy and dad at the same time, while keeping tabs on the Hogake that escaped their first strike. All of that while sparing men guiding the Hokage in an ambush, by engaging him in fights all around the Village and without letting him get in touch with the Anbu?"

"That's impossible!"

"Right! Look at the map. At the best of my knowledge only the area around the four dead Anbu showed signs of a fight. Between dad's files I also found that the Uchiha only had three hundred shinobi, at best. That's counting also the ones that are now retired. They simply lacked the manpower to put on such an operation."

"So you are saying that they were helped?"

"It's the only thing that makes sense. And I also think I know who the traitor is."

"Who?"

"Danzo."

"The one who killed the Uchiha, that Danzo?"

"Mum between dad's things I found a book about engagement rules for the Anbu. According to the guidelines: –Every ninja in Konoha found in the streets after midnight can be questioned by Anbu, if the squad leader sees the ninja as threat to the Village. If the ninja provides a rightful authorization Anbu can demand to help the ninja in his duty-."

"That means?"

"That means that the Anbu could stop an Uchiha, ask what was going on and tag along. If the Hokage was being guided towards the West Gate by the Uchiha and some unknown third party the Anbu would have, sooner or later, asked what was going on and tagged along. In the end their tagging along would have caused a battle. If the Anbu weren't involved we would have had a lot more fights around the Village, not just one."

Shikamaru ended his speech pointing to the position of the four dead Anbu on the map.

"And who had gained more from this story than Danzo?"

He looked at her processing the new facts for a while before she finally nodded in understanding.

"You are right. But why going after Shikaku?"

"Father was the Jonin Commander. It is a very important position; maybe Danzo wanted one of his men to have it. Dad would have probably done whatever he could to stop him from having the hat."

She sadly looked down and her eyes glanced at the map. It was covered in lines and had a lot of graphics and maths done around the edges; it must have been a seriously hard job trying to defy with logic what your senses regarded as the truth. Everyone had seen Danzo wounded by the fight, the Anbu dead.

The dead Anbu!

"What about the dead Anbu at the West Gate?"

"Mum! The Anbu must have helped the Uchiha with the attack! It's the only way things make sense! They probably died while fighting the Uchiha. I don't think Danzo wanted to leave proofs of his treachery behind, and so the Uchiha had to die. The ones that survived the execution probably knew nothing about his involvement, and if they knew they will never escape the grasp of his men… The only thing I don't get is why the Hokage went to the ambush site… Maybe he was only trying to escape and all the Gates were guarded... With the Anbu at their side the Uchiha could have easily covered the whole Village."

Shikamaru was looking at his mother face searching for reassurance. He now wanted to tell her the last part of the story, how he was able to discover what was happening.

"Mum."

He called for her for almost a minute before she stopped to stare in the void and answered.

"What is it Shikamaru?"

"Dad helped me." He said, his voice barely a whisper.

At her look of disbelief he continued.

"I dreamed about a time when I cut my hand with a kunai… I believe it was two or three weeks before I started the Academy. I was so afraid to do badly…"

"Look how you ended up, second last."

She smiled at her little joke. It was the first time in two days that Shikamaru had seen his mother lips turn upwards. He was glad; he wasn't pissed like the times his mother made a joke about his grades before the funeral. A lot of things had been put at their right place after the funeral.

"Seriously, mum?"

She raised her hands in an apologetic gesture and let him continue.

"So, I was so afraid. And I thought that I would do something stupid, like cutting myself with my own kunai… And dad told me a story about a lot of unlucky things that kept happening to him while he was on the field, how clumsy he had looked sometimes. Then he told me that a lot of unlucky things will happen, that even a great plan can be ruined by a coincidence, but that I would do fine because I knew to turn a bad situation in a good one. Like I had turned a cut with a kunai in a very meaningful lesson.

So I woke up thinking about unlucky things and I remembered Choza at the funeral. He was telling someone how lucky the Uchiha had been to have their plan work so well. They had a lot of luck. No one spotted the Uchiha? No one was walking in the village yesterday night? And after the dream I had a doubt, so I grabbed the map and that one doubt became a lot of doubts. And here we are."

For the first time in this late night discussion Shikamaru seemed to have nothing to say. He looked at his mother with a frown on his face. She knew for the first time what he was going to tell her, sadly she had no answer.

"Mum, what we do now?"

Yoshino hugged his son tightly. She felt an urge to assure herself he was still alive. She was proud, that much was obvious, of how smart he had been to discover Danzo's plans. But that meant that the enemy within was still out there, and now that they knew they were just bigger targets.


	4. Chapter 4: Resistance

BakaPervert asked about the Sandaime's will in Cahpter 3, finding a little strange that Danzo had not found about the secret message. Homura and Koharu weren't involved in the opening of the will, it would have been impossible for Danzo to explain why he was opening private documents. On the other hand, why does not Danzo discovers the seal? Luck, pure and simple. It was impossible for Sarutobi to figure out a message that could not be possible discovered by Danzo, not with Naruto to protect and an attack to his life going on. So he made a bet, and he won.

_**Chapter 4:**_

_**Resistance**_

_Yoshino_

The two days after Yoshino Nara had buried her husband had been hectic.

She had woken up next to that thrice damned map, next to the proof that it hadn't been a dream; the new Hokage had killed Hiruzen, her husband and Morino Ibiki and, after betraying his comrades and everything that Konoha stood for, changed the way things were done in the Village.

After burning down the map she and her son had a serious discussion about what to do.

The first thing Shikamaru had done was going out to train, the first thing she did was study.

They hadn't gone out from their house a lot during these two days. Shikamaru had trained almost every walking moments, sometimes with the aid of Choji that passed by so much to practically live with them.

While her son was busy training she had to read. Read a lot.

After her husband death, she felt a cringe like every time she thought of Shikaku, she had been by right the Clan Head until her son come of age. Soon, barely a day after she had closed Shikaku's coffin, voices had raised in the clan asking to her to relinquish her position.

But, unlike the same voices in the clan were now whispering, she hadn't kept her position for pride or for keeping the spot for her son… the lazy ass would probably organize a party for her as a thank you for reducing his workload in the future.

No… she had to learn the hundreds of rules of the Shinobi Code, the laws that regulate clan matters in the Village and how to raise a deer among other things because Danzo was now the Hokage. She couldn't risk the Clan to end up in the hands of that man.

Shikamaru had said that Danzo's greatest power was the mistrust he had put were before was undying loyalty. She had never thought that someone in Clan could be an enemy. Now she looked at the Nara fearing that a ninja loyal to Danzo would put a kunai in her neck if she spoke about her worries.

So she read.

Today was the first time she had gone out after her husband death.

While walking through the Village she started to notice how things had changed. She didn't know if it was only the fact that a traitor was now ruling, she didn't know if it was only for what she now knew, but the air in the Village seemed darker and heavier.

The changes in the general population weren't subtle enough to not be seen.

The shopkeepers didn't shout loudly, proclaiming with roaring voices the value of their products. The owner of the shop in which she bought coffee, one her husband liked so much and was very expensive, for once wasn't screaming noisily her name or calling her to see "a new product I have just got from the land of Lightening".

Maybe he was being quiet out of respect for her recent loss.

But the little stands that sell food all around the Village for once were doing only that. People entered, ate and leaved. There was no ninja boasting about his deeds on a mission, no waitress baiting her eyelashes to her most recent crush, no laughing or joking.

Everyone was saddened by the death of the Hokage. Maybe to someone the treachery of the Uchiha had been of a more personal nature. But Yoshino remembered when the Nidaime died.

She remembered the sadness, and also the joy that spread in the Village when the new Hokage took the job. The speech of the Sandaime had been moving, inspiring. It talked about a glorious future without war, in which her children will grow up without the worries that she had to endure.

Also Danzo speech had been moving and inspiring. He inspired to fight for Konoha, that the ninja of the Leaf were the strongest; that, despite the Hokage's death, despite the Uchiha's betrayal, Konoha was still standing and it will stand strong for many years to come.

The Sandaime speech had promised peace, Danzo's one had promised war. A war that Konoha would win, but a war nonetheless.

Maybe that was only something she read among the lines of the Godaime's speech. She actually read it. She had a member of the clan wrote it down, for she couldn't bear the sight of that man putting on the hat that had been of so many honourable men before.

The Shodai was probably rolling over in the grave at the thought of a traitor, a killer of comrades and friends, being the greatest protector of the dream he had built from the ground.

He hated Danzo because he had killed her husband. He hated him more because he had destroyed the dream of Konoha in a single night.

She had been the wife of a ninja; she knew that every mission could have ended in her husband death.

But every time she begged Shikaku not to go, and that had happened almost every single night of their marriage until Shikamaru was born, her husband told her the tale of the founding and the dream that had inspired Senju Hashirama.

When Shikamaru had been born she had finally understood what her husband was trying to say. He was trying to say that, for the children of Konoha, he was ready to risk his life over and over. After she held Shikamaru close to her chest for the first time she finally got his meaning; only after having something in her hands that was more meaningful and important than her own life she could understand her husband.

For Shikaku Konoha and what it used to stand for was more meaningful than his life. And she loved him for it.

She loved that her husband was brave enough and strong enough to go fight, so that their children could live a peaceful life. She loved what being a Konoha ninja meant. If she had the training and the possibility of being a ninja she would have fought for Konoha too.

But Danzo had destroyed that dream. The death of Shikaku was unforgivable. It was more unforgivable that Danzo had been able to make every time Shikaku bled… every time he had been up all night begging for forgiveness and whispering his despair to the Gods… every time he had cried for a dead comrade… everything he had to endure for the sake of Konoha... Danzo had made all that count nothing, for the Konoha Shikaku was protecting was no more.

And she could see it just by the changes in the attitude of the ninja.

The Konoha ninja had always been odd. They were deadly on mission, but they were loud and happy in the Village. They used to laugh or to just being relaxed when they were at home. Now they seemed at war. The sight of Anbu patrols had become easily a common occurrence, every ninja seemed ready to fight to the death.

As the wife of a ninja she understood. They were acting like Shikaku did after coming back from a dangerous mission or from the battlefield during the war; they were expecting death. When the Sandaime died the ninja had lost the feeling of safety they used to have while staying in Konoha.

Konoha was no more a safe home in which a woman could have her sons and daughters grow up in peace, it had become a battlefield. And the militaristic approach of the new Hokage only made everything worse.

She held more close to the chest the bag that contained some of Shikaku's things. Things that he had left to his dearest friends and comrades, things that will soon be owned by Inoichi or Choza.

The only two ninja in the Village she could now trust, the only one that she thought was safe to adjourn on what was happening.

He had told Choji the day before to have his father and Inoichi at Choza's home for midday, so that she could give them the mementos Shikaku had left behind to them.

She entered the Akimichi Compound. The Akimichi were always respectful, they were between the few clan that was considered honourable even by the samurai of the Land of Iron.

Shikaku had told her that the Akimichi were the only ninja in Konoha to have an etiquette while fighting, the only one to had an honour code and something that, even for Konoha's sake, they could not do. She had learned that the Shodai wrote down that the Akimichi could not receive assassination mission and that the Akimichi could not steal from civilians for the sake of a mission.

So when she entered the Akimichi bowed down respectfully and gave her something to put on her husband grave as an offer, for the Gods had to understand that Shikaku Nara was a friend of the Akimichi Clan.

She felt her eyes filling with tears. Another crime of Danzo… he was also guilty to have tainted every friendship Shikaku had with mistrust and fear. He hated that man so much. Looking at the offer she now held in her hands she couldn't not ask her self: "Can I trust them?"

But there were at least two men she could trust, and they were waiting for her. She steeled herself and fought back the tears and the despair. After the discovery of the Hokage's betrayal, she thought for a moment how strange was to think of the Hogake as a traitor, she had feared for her son and for her own life every moment; how terrible it was to have the most powerful man in the entire Village as her enemy.

When she had Choza and Inoichi in front of her she asked for some privacy and she started explain.

She saw their faces show first clueless looks, then rage, then fear and in the end the emotion she had felt harder in these days, despair.

"We shall have his head on a spike! The traitor will die!"

The Akimichi were honourable, she could actually hear Shikaku's voice talking to her, but they also believed everyone was as honourable as they were. Choza couldn't easily understand treachery and double-plays, he could not get that a direct approach wasn't the best course of action to destroy Danzo.

"Don't be dumb, Choza. Shikaku was our strategist, but you must have got something after hearing his plans for all those years."

Inoichi was used to roam through people mind, to see what was happening in a man's deepest thoughts. He was probably the one that understood treachery, secrecy and hidden reasons behind a man's actions better than anyone.

"Stupid… I am being stupid! That man is destroying Konoha! How could we do nothing?"

"Shikamaru was the one to understand that Danzo was a traitor. He also explained to me that calling out Danzo on his crimes it's not the best course of action. We don't know who will fight for him and who will fight for us. Confronting the Hokage will cause a war, a war that we can't be sure to win."

This time Yoshino answered to the Akimichi.

"A dark age is coming, Choza. The ninja of Konoha were known across the lands for their teamwork… now I can't even talk to the men in my own clan without thinking about a betrayal. And I don't think you are in a better position."

A scream of rage erupted by him. For the first time in years Choza was enraged. How could Inoichi, his friend, a man he trusted with the life of his son, accuse his clan of treachery? How could he doubt the honour of the Akimichi Clan!

"Calm down Choza!"

"I have to calm down! You came into my home, you doubt my clan honour, and you talk about my family like they are traitors… And you ask me to calm down!"

"Yes! Yes, I do! You have to understand that the Konoha of the honourable men we used to serve is no more. How many times during the last years you came to me worried about a faction of the Akimichi that wanted to ditch your Code? How many times you screamed about men without honour in your own clan, living under your roof and eating at your table?"

Choza was fuming with rage. But he also got the point Inoichi was trying to make. If he believed that were dishonourable men in the clan, how could he not believe traitors to live in his own compound too?

"Then we shall fight them! And Danzo… and everybody that support that fool!"

"Like Shikaku would have said: Fight smart, not hard."

Choza was calmed down and Inoichi had been able to pierce through his thick skull. He just needed a little push so that he would not do something stupid, like challenging the Hokage to a fight. Yoshino took this job in her hands.

"Do you think I wish to see him live another day? Do you think I like that my husband killer is now the Hokage, Choza? I don't. But I like to live, and I like my son to live too. We must avoid a civil war at all costs, even if it means to bear with a man like Danzo being the Hokage."

Now Choza was saddened. His clan may have lost his honour; Yoshino had lost the love of her life to that man treachery. He should do his best to bear with him, at least until the next generation was in the Village and, for that, in danger.

"Now, Shikamaru wanted to know if you have seen something strange, something amiss during the last few months, maybe even the last few years. Every bit of information we can obtain on Danzo's organization is meaningful."

Inoichi answered her plea for information.

"I know something about Danzo. More than ten years ago the Sandaime had me do a psychological evaluation of some members of the Anbu. I mean a psychological evaluation besides the routine one I normally do for the Anbu members. What I saw in their minds… It made me sick for days."

He lost his focus for a second, like he was remembering something so hurtful to actually feel physical pain. Yoshino, despite not being a ninja and not having seen as many traumatic sights as Inoichi, knew that expression; it was the same look she had on her face every time she passed by the bed she shared with her husband.

It was an expression that spoke of unbelievable pain.

"They had been through years of physical and psychological torture. The ninja that did the torture was Danzo. I believe he used little bits from every training regime of high profile ninja from all the Five Great Villages. The resistance training… more like I beat you until you fell on your knees… from Kumo, the psychological torture you had to endure in Kiri, the harsh survival training of Suna and the detachment training from Iwa. When it ended a ninja was the perfect definition of a sociopath, he didn't have any kind of emotion. The only feeling left was loyalty to the Leaf.

They were nothing more than a sword and a mask. The Hokage had been enraged and he had told me that this kind of training will have ended immediately… that no Konoha ninja was to be conditioned to such a degree.

If Danzo has the Anbu under his direct command I suppose he didn't shoot the program down. That the ninja that endured that training are now the Anbu… I suppose he has loyal ninjas that won't stop to nothing to follow his orders.

After the years of tortures, and believe me for I have been there, in the mind of these ninja there isn't any space left for doubts or second thoughts. Practically Danzo has an army of ninja ready to die for him."

"Do you think some of the Anbu could join us in fighting Danzo after hearing about this?" Yoshino asked.

After some moments of deep thought Choza answered.

"No, the Anbu are the department with the highest death rate while on mission and the one with their best hidden members. It would have been only too easy for Danzo, as he was the Anbu commander, to organize the death of the ones that could have opposed him. For now every Anbu is an enemy."

"And the Clans? What about the Clans?" Yoshino asked.

"The Clan can be trusted, I believe, after we have controlled some of the shadiest members. But the Clan have little meaning in war. The great clans of Konoha are just seven: Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Nara, Akimichi, Yamanaka, Aburame and the Uchiha. The Uchiha are dead and the rest of the clans may have one thousand members that can actually fight. One thousand shinobis able to fight in six clans. That's without considering the divisions in the Clans that will arise if we rebel against the Hogake."

"So few?"

"The Clans used to have more members during the Shodai reign, but mixing up with not clan members and civilians alike has made the numbers become smaller and smaller. The Anbu are, at least that's the number that the Council has approved, a thousand. The problem is the general population of ninja, the eight thousands ninja made up by orphans, small clans and shinobis from a civilian family… Who will they follow?"

When Choza finished speaking everyone in the room started to think. It was Inoichi that found a course of action.

"Well, Choza it's like in Saga… that little city in the Land of Earth during the Third War, do you remember?"

"How could I not? What did Shikaku said?"

"He said: -While being surrounded in enemy territory the first thing you should do is search for allies. So let's go find some friends.-"

Yoshino started to speak for the first time in this discussion with a smile on her face.

"For that I may have a suggestion. Five days from now Choji, Ino and Shikamaru will become team Ten under Sarutobi Asuma. I believe that we have found our first ally."

Inoichi was the one to answer her.

"That's good; Sarutobi can tell us who to trust in the generation after our own. In the meantime Choza and I will start asking questions in the Departments; maybe we will find someone that opposes the Hokage."

After leaving them the memories that Shikaku had left behind, little things of which she didn't get the meaning but that were very meaningful to Choza and Inoichi, at least judging by the little smiles on their faces, Yoshino Nara started to walk in the Village with something similar to happiness in her face.

She had done the first step to bring Danzo down.

The Hokage will soon learn to fear for his life, that Yoshino Nara promised herself.

* * *

_Guy_

Might Guy woke up the night of the Sandaime's death at ten past five in the morning. That was a strange occurrence because he always got up at five to do his daily routine. Then he went to do another series of morning exercise with Rock Lee for two hours and then he met up with his team at eight o'clock.

He had always been the man that put himself in an uncomfortable position for the sake of others. Even in the small things like doing two set of push ups in the morning, one for his own sake, the other for his student's sake… the second was obviously something similar to a walk, but it spoke about the kind of man he was.

So when he woke up at ten past five the first thought he had was: "I will not be able to do my routine before meeting with Rock Lee".

He was starting to picture in his head exercises that would have cut the time of the routine shorter, like doing the pull ups while exercising the legs by moving a boulder around, when it hit him.

He was no sensor nor was his nose particularly powerful, like the Inuzuka, but he smelled blood. And then he felt chakra. He was running towards the West Gate before he knew about what he was doing. Years of practice, of exercising, of strange tasks had made his body so fast to act to actually leave his own mind behind sometimes.

He arrived only to see a large crowd. Someone, after he didn't remember who, told him the news. There was nothing much to do. The Hokage was dead, killed by the Uchiha in the most dishonourable way, and Danzo was explaining how the attack had actually happened.

He listened while silent tears were streaming down his face.

He wanted to scream and kill. He wanted to let out a powerful –Youth- and fight until his fists were covered in blood. He wanted to do everything in his power to save the Hokage. But he had been too late.

When Danzo finished talking he didn't followed the others to the Hospital, they were going to mourn the Hokage until dawn. He did what he always did when he felt that he had failed; he released the heavy burdens on his legs and went to train.

A rational voice in his head was trying to tell him that it wasn't his fault. But if he had been faster, if he had understood what was happening in time, if he had been more… youthful…

Only his rival Kakashi knew why he trained so hard. Only him and the Hokage.

The Kyuubi had made him what he was today. He had been lost after the Kyuubi. His family dead, his comrades dead and he was behind the lines, trying hard to not hear the screaming of the dying. In that moment he made a promise to his soul, to everyone that could have heard. Kakashi, that had been there right next to him, had listened whit his eyes focused on the Yondaime battling the Bijuu.

He screamed at the top of his lungs that he would have been better, that he would have been the more youthful ninja in the land. He didn't actually knew where that word had come from, but since then he had kept on saying it; just to remember himself his promise.

When the Hokage had heard of that story, two years after the Kyuubi when he had been promoted to Jonin, the old man had said him: "You are an admirable young man, Might Guy".

Since then he had always remembered that one sentence from the Hokage. When he had wanted to stop or flinch or just overlook his training, he remembered the trust his leader had put on him.

And so when the despair was so much to surround him in his darkness Might Guy did the only thing he could have done. He screamed –Youthful- between the tears and started training.

He went to fetch Rock Lee for his morning training. They did everything carefully and in silence. Not once a scream was heard, not once Rock Lee made his promises to defeat Neji. When their routine ended they went to the Hokage funeral, with bright green jumpsuits and stinking of sweet.

They found TenTen and Neji there. They stood there until the funeral ended and left before anyone could make a snarky comment about his or Rock Lee's attire.

Next thing Guy saw was the four of them standing silently in their usual training ground. Next thing Guy heard was Neji talking.

"It was fate that decided his death…"

Maybe he wished to talk more, maybe he wished to declare the Sandaime's death a revenge, a petty one as that, for the man had agreed to the plan that put an end to his father, but he never got the chance. Guy's hand hit him so fast that he realized what had happened only when he was already mid-air.

"When a man dies because a sword pierced his liver it's not fate that decides it. It's the man that wields the sword. The Sandaime destiny was to die in his bed, in a peaceful sleep, with his family surrounding him. When a comrade dies you shouldn't blame fate, you should blame yourself, because you weren't able to save him. You should train harder, you should fight better and you should hit stronger. Now get up and start living for who is alive and not for who is dead. Go training, all three of you."

A Yosh, a dumb nod and an angry glare later they were gone. Maybe he should have not hit the boy, but he couldn't stop his hand. He didn't have time to understand his student's pessimistic way of thinking, not when the Hokage was dead. Not when Konoha was weakened. Not when the other Villages were going to feast on them.

They had to grow. And fast.

He supervised their training and then started searching for Kakashi.

He searched for him at the Monument, at the Hokage's monument, at the book store, at the tomb of the Hokage. Then he checked every bar, every restaurant, every stand. Maybe he wasn't in the Village; it wasn't the first time he left without telling anybody.

But maybe he was alone, mourning the Hokage. When the Yondaime died no one was able to found him for days; but he had left a note telling everyone to not bother themselves trying to search for him, because they weren't going to be able to track him.

If this was the case he wanted to be sure. So he went to his apartment only to find a broken window. And no note. Maybe it was nothing, ninja tended to break things. He had broken the handle of his front door twenty four times this year.

But he was worried. The death of Hokage had stripped him of the safety he felt in Konoha; he was worried for his friend.

"Yosh! I shall find my rival Kakashi. If I can't I would do one thousand laps around Konoha on my index fingers."

It was the harshest punishment he had ever set for himself. He really needed to find the masked ninja.

He searched the whole Village once again. When he went to the Monument he found his world crumble to his feet. A Coup? A betrayal in Konoha and no one noticed. He never doubted Kakashi. Despite the oddities in their friendship, despite the never ending bickering from his side and the annoyance from Kakashi's one, he trusted the man with everything. And if he said that there had been a Coup, then there had truly been a Coup.

He wished to challenge Danzo and see his bones crumble under his punches. But that was not to be, he had been told to be careful and so he will be careful.

He wanted to talk to Asuma yesterday but he waited another day. He would just be a friend offering his condolences to a man that had lost his father, not the crazy one that broke into his home at night.

When he entered the house he saw Asuma and Kurenai, their so secret relationship out in the open after months. Now, not three months ago when he had saw them kissing at the top of the Hokage's Mountain. With the other Jonins Kakashi had even started a game. It was called "Put Asuma and Kurenai in the most awkward situation possible".

It seemed like a lifetime had passed when, in reality, it had only be a week ago the last time Genma tried to force Asuma to come to a double date with the cousin of his girlfriend. Simpler times, when death wasn't casting its shadow on them.

"I met someone yesterday", he started after sitting on the couch.

"Who?"

"Kakashi. He told me something…"

An expression of horror was suddenly on the faces of Asuma and Kurenai, they looked at each other before Asuma nodded at her and she left the room.

"I know too, Guy. My father left me a message before…"

"He always had been a smart a man. Kakashi wasn't able to tell me much before he disappeared… I want to read it too."

"Kurenai went to get the message. Disappeared?"

"You know how Kakashi is. His back up plans have back up plans. He would never go into a dangerous territory without getting some info before."

Asuma chuckled for a moment.

"Yes, that's Kakashi for you."

When Kurenai come back she held a small scroll in her hands. She gave it to Guy that started reading, when he finished he did something no one was expecting. They expected him to be sad, to feel the despair Asuma and Kurenai have been feeling since they had read the Sandaime's last words.

What they did not expect was him to suddenly yell: " Youthful!"

At their puzzled expressions Guy started talking.

"Yesterday I slapped one of my students."

Kurenai looked at him with her mouth agape, and cold fury starting to rise in her eyes. She was probably thinking about the best nightmare to force on him.

"He was going to say that the Hokage's death had been fate. I couldn't bear it and before I knew I had already hit him. I then said him that it hadn't been fate, that had been a man's hand to swing the sword… I told him that the Hokage's fate was to die on his bed, surrounded by his family."

That was said with a nod towards Asuma.

"But this", he was pointing to the scroll, "this is most youthful."

"He died protecting Konoha and Will of Fire. And he kept on thinking of the future, he gave us orders. He died as an extraordinary ninja, as a great Hokage. When Danzo will be killed, when we can stop to worry about enemies inside these walls, the tale of how he died will be the greatest example of what a Konoha shinobi should be."

Asuma looked at him and didn't saw the ugly man in the green jumpsuit most saw, he saw a comrade and a friend. A man that had always risen back from every defeat and forced himself to improve. No natural talent, no family jutsu to help him, no mother to come back home to, no father to guide him. Guy life had been only a series of hardships. And Asuma had his own hardships to endure, but he had also the Will of Fire and things to do.

"You are right Guy, he gave us orders. Order Omega and someone to trust. We have much to do and much to plan. Are you with us, Guy?"

"You know you don't have to ask."

* * *

_Uchiha Brothers_

The den of the Cats was somehow cluttered. Comfortable looking cushions were spread all around the floor, with cats of various sizes lazily sleeping on them. The Elder was smoking her pipe while a girl of fourteen years was hiding shyly under her back.

"Itachi, Sasuke. What brings you here?"

It was Itachi that answered; Sasuke was currently playing with two ninja cats, Denka and Hina, bickering with them about their power in combat.

"Two things Elder, equipment and news from Konoha. We are going to pay."

He said moving forward a bottle full of catmint and a stash of ryos. Itachi stared at the Elder, checking her expression to see if she had heard something from Konoha. She reproached his stare with the saddest look she could do.

Itachi had hoped, despite knowing fully how foolish it was, that somehow his family had survived. There was no way Danzo would have let alive after the attack, he had always known. But had also hoped that they fled, that his father had given escape routes to the Clan. But that's how his mind worked, too proud to think the Clan could lose.

But he refrained from speaking, maybe someone had survived. He stared at the Elder. Meanwhile Sasuke had seated next to him, news from his family were his deepest desire at that moment.

"I don't know how to say it, so I'll just say it. Your family is dead, two days ago the new Hokage, Danzo, had them arrested and executed for treason."

They had always known but it hit them hard all the same. Sasuke started crying, muttering Danzo's name like a litany; Itachi for a moment showed emotion on his face, no one could say if sadness or acceptance. It had been too fast. Now he showed the same face as every time. He had always been good in not getting his feelings out in the open.

"Survivors?"

"Yes, sixteen children of the Clan. I don't know where they are right now."

"Thank you, Elder. We will get our things and leave as soon as possible."

"You can stay here, Itachi. For as long as you need."

How easy would have it been to live in this hideout, hidden away from the world with the cats and the Elder's granddaughter. Not worrying about dying or Danzo, a simple and easy life. But that was not to be. He looked at the Elder and at the hand she had put on his own, he looked at her and then said: "No, Elder. We have got things to do."

She nodded in understanding and sent his granddaughter to get their supplies.

They left the hideout soon after. Sasuke was crying like he had never cried before. His eyes showed a murderous intent that worried Itachi, he seemed like one of those ninjas in the battlefield that had took too much soldier pills. He was almost beastly.

In fact, soon after leaving the hideout, Itachi heard him screaming. And he was screaming of revenge, of death and killing; he was screaming loudly his plan, which consisted of burning Danzo alive so that everyone could see and hear the man scream. And everyone would know that the Uchiha had taken their revenge.

"We will kill him Itachi! We will kill him."

Sasuke looked at his brother and saw something he did not expect. He saw something that looked like disappointment. Sasuke almost hated his brother in that moment. He had just heard about the death of their whole family and maybe he was just going to do what he had planned.

Maybe he was just going to hide himself away in some minor Village and let Danzo live until the end of his day. How couldn't he go on with his life without avenging his family before?

"You are nothing but a child."

"A child? You just want to let Danzo go away with what he had done! You want to do nothing; I will avenge my family..."

Sasuke parade was cut short by Itachi.

"You're nothing but a child! Did you hear the Elder? Did you hear that there are sixteen survivors? Sixteen of your cousins are still alive. And if you were using your eyes you would have seen that we are heading back to Konoha. But I won't go there for revenge; I'll go there to save my family from a murderer and a betrayer. You go get your revenge…", and then, with a derisive sneer on his face, he said: "Child."

Itachi loved his brother, but since their parents were no more and weren't able to guide him to the right path he had to show him why he should fight. And since he wasn't the kind of man that made a truth more easily to accept under a cover of lies and motivations, he guided his brother reminding him, in the harshest way he could muster, what had to be done.

Sasuke reacted like every eleven years old would react in such an occasion. He stopped talking, followed his brother silently, always looking on the ground, and started thinking. He didn't mutter a word when they set camp in a clearing, he didn't mutter a word when they searched for wood and water, he didn't mutter a word when his brother killed a rabbit for dinner, and he didn't mutter a word when they were eating.

Only in the darkness of their tent, probably because he didn't have to look at his brother judging eyes, he started speaking.

"Why you don't want to kill Danzo?"

Itachi wasn't surprised to hear his brother's voice after he had received the silent treatment for the best part of the day. He had waited for his words to sink into his mind and now he had to answer the inquiries his brother had been preparing.

"I want to kill Danzo, but not for the reasons you think I should do. I want to kill him because he had betrayed Konoha, not because he betrayed our Clan."

"He killed our family, how can you not hate him?"

"Our family betrayed the Village, our family killed the Sandaime. If our family had stopped to think about the consequences of their actions… If that had happened we will probably be sleeping in our beds and not in this tent."

"But…"

Itachi, sharingan flashing red in his eyes, could clearly see Sasuke trying to find the words. But there were no words that would make the Coup less true, no lies to tell. Only the truth. And the truth was the dishonour of the Clan.

"Five years ago… Five years ago father planned the exact same thing. Killing the Hokage. He wanted more power for the Clan. He told me, and he wanted me to betray Konoha too. After…"

Itachi had always wanted to protect his brother from the harsh truth. Always. But after this there were no lies to tell, no moves to take to protect his Clan honour. Currently the Uchiha's name was probably another word for "traitor".

His sharingan informed him about the Sasuke's prying eyes before he had time to show them in his face. There were no more lies, only the truth. And it will be a very harsh truth.

"After I went to the Sandaime and I informed him."

Sasuke was shocked; his brother had betrayed his family. Their family. Sasuke muttered a single word: "Why?"

"Why the life of my family should matter more than the life of countless families? Why I had to raise my sword to kill those men I fought to protect? Why my family thirst for power should have meant the life of my teammates? Or the life of my sensei? Or the life of the shinobis that have fought protecting my back during a war?"

There were so many answers to these questions. And Sasuke was going to scream all of them right into his brother's ears. He was going to scream all of them until he would have them engraved in his memory. He was going to scream his answers until his father and his mother were going to hunt him in his dreams.

But before he could do anything Itachi started talking again. He would have screamed, for once not caring about what his brother had to say. But what he said was enough to stop him.

"You don't know the full story. After I told the Sandaime I begged. I asked for his mercy, and the Hokage was kind and brave enough to hear my cries. He was merciful enough to forgive them. He told me: "I will do whatever I can to save them". And he did."

"He did! They are dead!"

"By Danzo's hand. And for their own folly. Why did they put power over everything else?"

There was no answer to this question. So Sasuke didn't answer. He asked something instead.

"You told the Hokage because you didn't want a war in Konoha. But if the Coup five years ago would have happened anyway… If there was a war in Konoha, for which side you would have fought?"

The silence that fell in the tent was a good enough answer.

* * *

_Iruka_

Iruka was hit by the Hokage death almost as hard as the Hogake's family. He should have been with him. He knew that his presence would have not changed the events much. But the Hokage should have died surrounded by ninja loyal to Konoha, not by traitors.

The night of the attack he was coming back to the Village when he saw the old man standing at the Gates. The jutsu he used to know everything meaningful that was happening in the Village had always been outstanding.

He wanted to accompany him and Naruto to the Tower, but the Sandaime refused. He told him he could give his report the day after, that he should have his wounds seen by a doctor. He went to the Hospital and got his wound treated.

He fell asleep soon after, both for the sudden missing of adrenaline and the painkillers kicking in. He fell asleep in the Hospital only to be woken up by a nurse in the middle of the night. She told him between tears and sobs that the Hokage was dead.

He would have liked that his first thought had been something among the lines of "I should have been with him". This thought would have come later, when the realization that he had been one of the last to see the Hokage alive struck him.

Instead the first thought he had was: "Naruto".

It was a good thought, a thought about the future. And he knew the Hokage would have not resented him for thinking of the future before an honourable death. But when he thought about what he could have done to stop the Hokage's death… Maybe he could have asked for help…

He searched for Naruto for all the day, missing both the Hokage's funeral and the Uchiha execution. When he went to the platform were the Uchiha were to be executed it was too late to see them die. The only thing left was the blood.

The wood was dark for the blood. It was dripping from the edges with a sickening sound. Iruka saw Danzo, the Anbu commander, who, from what he had heard from the nurse, had been there when the Hokage died.

His sight was enough to almost made him puke in the street.

He was drenched in red. His white vest was covered by so much blood to leave a trial on the ground, like a man that had stood for too long out in the rain.

He rushed towards him. He wanted to ask about Naruto whereabouts; if he had survived the night. Or if he was accused of something, because he knew that almost no one liked the boy in the Village. How easy would have been for someone to accuse him, guilty only of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And if he hadn't been captured by someone in the Village… if he had been kidnapped for the Kyuubi… The Council should hear about the host of the Kyuubi missing. They would surely do everything they could to find him. And bring him back home.

When he tried to reach Danzo two Anbus threw him out of the way. He shouted so that the councilmen will hear of the matter, but to no avail.

With nothing to do, the Hokage dead, Naruto missing and his feelings caused from the terrible night Umino Iruka fell back into an old habit. An old bad habit.

Back in the day, when his parents' death made him feel so worthless and his own loneliness was too much to cope with, Iruka drank. He drank to not feel pain, only to obtain some moments of blissful peace. He was never a drunkard or an alcoholic; but he enjoyed to be untouchable by his memories, even if for just a minute.

So Iruka entered in a bar, ordered a bottle of sake and found himself seated in front of Jiraya of the Sannin. One of the greatest ninja Konoha ever produced, a man that was somewhere between legend and reality. Jiraya poured himself a little bit of his sake, drank the cup in a single sip and said:

"Let's talk."

Iruka was taken aback. Why would Jiraya want to talk to him? He had never met the man. He had seen him in the Village but never talked to him. To the orphans of Konoha ninja like Jiraya or the Yondaime Hokage were more than powerful shinobi, they were hope. If they had overcame the loneliness and the despair an orphan had to overcame, why the orphans in the new generations could not?

"I don't know what you want to talk about, Jiraya-sama."

"Cut the "sama" crap. Why you wanted to talk to Danzo?"

Suddenly Jiraya became hope to Iruka for a whole new set of reasons. Maybe he would be able to help him in finding Naruto? Surely he will. He was bound by honour to the boy, because his student had sealed the Kyuubi in him. The least he could do was to help him if he was in danger.

"I teach at the Academy. Yesterday a student of mine that failed his Graduation was used by one of my colleagues to steal the Scroll of Seals; he told the boy it was a makeshift exam. When I found him and I discovered what had happened he was able to subdue the traitor. I gave him his headband for that. When we returned in the Village we met…"

"You met the Hokage at the gate."

"Yes, Jiraya-sa… Jiraya. He sent me to the Hospital and took the boy to his office with him. When I woke up this morning I went searching for my student, but I wasn't able to locate him. I wanted to know if he was with the Hokage last night. If they had found him, alive or… alive or dead."

"The boy, what's his name?"

"Naruto Uzumaki."

The look on Jiraya's face was enough to tell Iruka that he knew of who he was talking.

Jiraya had a dark edge in his eyes, like he was trying to judge the man in front of him. He was looking at Iruka like he wanted to see his very soul, like he wanted to understand his being completely.

"You think that Naruto was at the Hokage's Office when there was the attack?"

"Most likely. Do you think he is alive?"

"Of that I am sure. Are you aware of Naruto's status as a jinchuruki?"

"Yes. But how would the Kyuubi protect a fresh genin from hundreds of experienced ninjas?"

"It won't. If Naruto was in the fight yesterday he will probably be in a cell right now, but he is not dead. When an host dies the Bijuu inside him practically escapes. If Naruto would have died everyone in the Land of Fire would have felt the Kyuubi's chakra."

"The Kyuubi would survive Naruto's death? Then why it had not tried to kill Naruto yet?"

"The Bijuu are made of chakra, and you can't kill chakra because it's energy. And the Kyuubi doesn't kill Naruto for the seal, it's a design only a genius like the Yondaime could have invented. The Kyuubi can influence the outside world only with his chakra, because the seal prevent it from gaining a physical form; but the chakra that can pass through the seal it's almost none, so the Bijuu can't force his will upon Naruto's own chakra. And when the natural loosening of the seal kicks in… it is so gradual that Naruto has the time to adjust to the new output of the Bijuu's chakra, without having to fight the Kyuubi for control like happen to most of the Jinchuruki. Pure genius."

"Naruto will absorb the Kyuubi?"

"Practically yes. The chakra of the beast will be part of Naruto's own reserves; I am sure you have felt just how much chakra Naruto has. Way too much for a boy his age. But eventually he will have to fight the Kyuubi for control… It's bound to happen, but the seal let us decide when this fight will happen… without worrying about the Bijuu destroying Konoha during the night. But enough with this talk about seals! Naruto, are you sure he is not in the Village, maybe hiding way?"

"Naruto never runs away from trouble. I can't say he is not in cell right now… but I am sure he is not outside in the Village."

Silence fell on them for some moments before Iruka spoke once again.

"Find him, Jiraya."

"I will go as soon as I can. I have a meeting to attend about the new Hokage, but I will go search for him just after that."

The legendary ninja got up and leaved the room, leaving Iruka alone with his sorrows and his worries. Just when Iruka was going to drink his first cup he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder. Looking up he saw Jiraya's face.

"I have failed a lot in my life. I haven't saved my first friend, I haven't obtained the love of the woman I have ever loved, I haven't protected my sensei, I have let my student die. But be sure of one thing: I will not fail Naruto Uzumaki. The only way his enemies will reach him will be walking over my dead body. Your name, young boy."

"Iruka Umino."

"I will save your student, Iruka."

And he leaved.

Iruka Umino, despite everything, smiled.

* * *

_Anko _

Anko Mitarashi had worked five years in the T&I in Konoha, so she recognized were she was right away. The only thing she found amiss was that she was at the wrong side of the bars. She was the interrogator, she was supposed to torture traitors from the other side of the bars.

She wasn't supposed to be at this side of the bars, with chains restraining her movements.

The chains were a big problem. She felt the side of her neck on fire, the only thing she could think about was massaging it. And the chains were between her and her objective.

The burning pain made her more aware of her surroundings; she started to wonder why she had been captured. Had the Uchiha won? No, impossible. They were destroyed. The Anbu had crushed them, she remembered it.

She remembered the sight of Ibiki, killed in his home while having his usual bad dinner. She remembered the curse on her neck, and the pain. The urge to kill had been strong enough to make her pass out, the struggle between his will and Orochimaru's curse had forced her mind to shut down for a while.

She knew that she could have slept for days. The last time the curse had tried to win her mind she had been bedridden for two weeks. She had no idea of how long she had been in chains. But, far worse, she had no idea who had put her in chains in the first place.

She tried to scream, but no one answered. Her eyes were adapting to the dark surroundings and she saw two guards in front of her cells. She screamed again, but they did not flinch.

When sometime had passed one of the guards entered and forced her to eat. She didn't want to. She knew well what kind of drugs the interrogator used to put in prisoners' food. But the guard did what she expected him to do. She put a hand over her nose until she was forced to breath with her mouth, and then he shoved the food down her throat.

After that Anko slept. She knew the guards wouldn't talk to her, she knew she wasn't going to be able to obtain any kind of news from them and she knew she needed her strength for what was coming her way.

She woke up in front of an old man. Danzo. Why would the Anbu commander arrest her? Maybe he thought she had something to do with Ibiki's death… maybe he suspected she had a role even in the Hokage's murder.

But it was well known around the Village that she loved the Hokage like a father. It was well known that the Snake Bitch only had a smile for the Sandaime, because he showed mercy when she was found in one of Orochimaru's labs after he went traitor.

"Mitarashi Anko."

"I would bow but, as you see, I found myself in a rather bounding setting."

"You know when I first heard of that seal on your neck…"

It was like she feared, Orochimaru's treachery had found its way to her. Her sensei folly would be her death.

"…I wanted to harness its power for Konoha."

Or not.

"But Sarutobi lied to me. He told me that the curse had been sealed off completely; that its power was lost. That you would have some trouble from it, but you would gain no chakra. Nothing at all. But when one of my Anbu found you do you know what they felt?"

"My tits? I bet your stone faced guards out there felt me very well."

A small chuckle found his way out of Danzo's lips.

"No, no. They felt chakra, not yours. Its chakra. Its!"

"I think they felt my tits too, but if you like to think they felt only chakra…"

Her banter didn't cause a reaction this time. He just kept on talking.

"And you don't know what that chakra actually is, don't you?"

"Never spent too much time between Orochimaru's papers."

"I did. And I did a most interesting discovery. Do you know about Senjutsu? Of course you don't. Maybe ten ninjas all around the world know about Senjutsu. You add the chakra from Nature to your own. The things I have seen Jiraya do with Senjutsu! But only few Summons can teach it, for they have a very closer connection to Nature than any man. And they teach it only to one person, and no one else until that person is dead and a replacement need to be found."

"What does the Cursed Seal has to do with Senjutsu?"

"Between Orochimaru's papers I have found that the Cursed Seal it's a way to… actually an artificial way… to force Nature's chakra into a ninja. I want that power for Konoha! I want it, and I will get it thanks to you."

"You are mad! The seal is nothing but a curse, your ninja will grow madder and madder and, before you can understand what is happening, they will slit each other's throats!"

"If you think they would do that, then you don't know my ninja, Mitarashi."

He turned on his heels and told the guards outside to summon the medics.

Mitarashi Anko started to cry. Death would have been accepted with open arms in that moment. She had become once again only the guinea pig of a mad man. When the memories of Orochimaru's kind of medicine hit her she started to scream.

Like before, no one answered.

* * *

_Naruto_

Kakashi and Naruto were walking in the Shodai's forest at a calm pace. The day before Kakashi had took everything that could have been useful from the Yondaime's hideout, and he had said to wake up early. They had a long journey ahead of them.

A ninja could have made the travel in ten days, but Naruto was not yet a ninja, not truly. The young boy could walk ten times faster than the average man, but it was still ten times slower than the average shinobi.

Naruto had suffered a lot in these days. For once he truly hated someone. When he had been shunned, left alone, even when they had thrown a rock at him… even that time he had never felt an hate so strong in his heart.

He had told sensei, Kakashi had told Naruto to call him such and to ask him every question he had in mind, and sensei had told him to not let this hate consummate him. The masked man had told him, for once closing the book he was always reading, that hate and revenge weren't the way a man should follow; he had told him that there were only loneliness ahead that pat.

So Naruto focused his thoughts on his dream.

Freeing Konoha from the shadow of that man and rebuilding the dream the Sandaime died to protect, that was his dream. No, it was their dream. Kakashi's and Naruto's dream.

And when Naruto thought about that, and not about the hate that was trying to swallow him whole whenever he was dreaming, he felt a warm touch around his heart. He liked to think it was the Sandaime guiding him on the right pat from wherever he was.

But now he had no idea where they were going.

"Sensei! Where are we going? To Konoha?"

"Think, Naruto. Think. Going to Konoha now will only result in our deaths. We are following the Sandaime last order."

"What order?"

"He told us the night of the attack. Lesson one Naruto, even in time of great distress a ninja should always have a clear grasp of his surroundings."

Despite liking the older man a lot Naruto got angry every time he was like that, patronizing him like a little boy! Maybe before Naruto would have tried a shouting match, but that times had died with the Sandaime. He needed everything he could get to rebuild Konoha, even the lessons given with a sardonic smile and a touch of amusement. Amusement for his incompetence, apparently.

So Naruto was able to mutter between grinded teethes:

"I'll try, sensei. What was this last order?"

"More no one could ask for. His last order was Order Omega. I never thought I could receive that kind of order, not anymore."

"What is Order Omega?"

"Order Omega is a general evacuation order given when, and I quote, - overwhelming enemy forces have taken over the Village-. Danzo's men are an overwhelming enemy force, and he is the Hokage. Taking Konoha back from him will call for careful planning."

"And where are we going?"

"During the Shodai's reign Konoha had a standing alliance with a Village that is no more. The Village hidden in Whirpools, Uzushiogakure. Back in the day the Konoha's shinobi, if the Village was destroyed, had to go to Uzushiogakure; and the ninja of Uzushiogakure had to go to Konoha if the same happened to them."

"You said –is no more-, why?"

"Uzushiogakure was destroyed during the Second World Shinobi War. Their power with seals was considered too dangerous… and they were totally wiped out from the map. Some survivors found shelter in Konoha."

"If they were our allies why we didn't help them?"

"At that time of the war Konoha was fighting with Kumo, when the Hokage heard of the attack Uzushiogakure had suffered from Kiri… It's simply was too late to help."

"We are going to a destroyed Village?"

"Yes. But there are still civilians there, so it won't be troublesome to find food and clothes. There I could also train you without worrying about attacks, because Uzushiogakure was on an island so it's easy to keep track of who comes and goes."

Naruto nodded and kept on walking. The last part of Kakashi speech had been left unsaid. The man didn't want to tell Naruto of his heritage just yet, not so soon after the Sandaime's death. The boy had had enough shocking news.

Uzushiogakure would be the perfect place at the perfect time. Where to tell an Uzumaki about his heritage, if not at his ancestral home?


End file.
